Another Vision of Escaflowne
by celena
Summary: V+H fic, The Saga continues, ultimate Quest begins... CHAPTER 8!!! YES! SHE IS COMING BACK! Hitomi is is calling out to Van, will he be able to help her?? Thank you for your support people...R+R
1. One’s rebuilding, the other’s going home

Another Vision of Escaflowne 

Another Vision of Escaflowne

Disclaimer: _Usual disclaimers apply regarding Tenkuu no Escaflowne. The following is an Original Escaflowne fanfiction / fanart. The story, new characters and events are our own creation. Any resemblance with any other fanwork is purely coincidental. _

Author : Celena

Editor: Bellsandy

Illustrator: Bellsandy

****

~~ Delight in the Experience : http://bellsandi.tripod.com/AVE/index.html_ **~~**_

**__**

~~ Immerse yourself in the Experience : here **~~**

****

Episode I

****

One's rebuilding, the other's going home

"I'm fine Van." she said softly, watching the image of the young King sitting on the rocks surrounded by water. The sun was slowly setting and its rays pierced a pinkish jewel hanging from his neck. Seeing he was still wearing her pendant pleased her and noticing that he had stretched his wings for her to see also made her happy. With her answer, the image slowly faded away and left Hitomi gazing at the now empty rocks, swallowing hard the grief she was starting to feel from being so far from the one she had learned to care so much about. She was soon disturbed from her thoughts as she heard the bright voice of her dearest friend calling out to her.

"Hitomi! Hitomi! There you are! We've been looking all over for you!" she shouted out as she approached her friend and gave her a big hug. 

"What were you thinking? Hope you haven't forgot our night out with Amano?"

"How could I forget a _so well planned out_ evening with my two best friends?!" responded Hitomi smiling wickedly, thinking about the pizza she was about to have and movie she was about to see. 

Yukari and Amano always picked out the most boring love stories when they where together. It almost made her sick to her stomach to have to endure so many mushy scenes when she was all alone. Not that she felt alone, but hanging out with a couple was sometimes hard. But Yukari and Amano insisted on keeping her company as much as they could. They were trying hard to relieve her mind from worries and solitude they thought she was carrying (even if she told them hundreds of times that she was fine). Telling them about her adventures on Gaea might not have been such a good idea… it pretty much showed how she had been fond of Van and they were afraid that being apart from him would be hard. But she was okay. It had been weeks now since she had left Fanelia and it's charming King and she was doing great. She was doing well on her final exams, she had won the last race of the season on the track team, and she was mentally getting ready to have a perfect summer at the beach.

Yukari stared at her friend before giggling. "Hey! What does that comment mean?? Don't you like spending time with us?" she asked, trying to look offended at Hitomi's remark. 

Hitomi started laughing and shrugged. Pulling Yukari by the arm, the two friends walked towards the small pizzeria Amano liked so much.

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

As they finished eating, Amano noticed how distant Hitomi had been during the meal. Giving her a slight push he asked her what was on her mind. Having no response, he gave a quick look to Yukari for her approval and pinched Hitomi on the arm.

"OOOUUUCHH!" Hitomi yelled out squeezing her arm where Amano had hurt her. "What was that for??" she asked.

"Where have you been?" Yukari and Amano demanded at the same time, smiling at each other for it. Hitomi looked down and blushed, knowing the reactions she would get if she were honest. 

"I saw him today." she responded.

Amano and Yukari gave each other a knowing glance. 

"You saw him today." repeated Amano.

"You've been seeing him every day for the past week Hitomi!" added Yukari. "Are you sure everything is alright?"

"Of course!" Hitomi answered quickly. "He's just been checking up on me to make sure everything is going good for me, and you know that rebuilding his kingdom is asking a lot of him… he doesn't have much time for leisure, thinking of each other while doing something is easy and…" Hitomi trailed off, feeling the hard looks of her friends upon her.

"Hitomi…" started Amano "You two are from VERY different worlds, living VERY different lives, it was fine when you were _checking_ on each other once a week, but he's been seeing you much more often these past few days, are you sure it's…healthy?" 

Yukari made a face at his choice of word but only for him, she turned to Hitomi and watched for her reaction. Hitomi took in a long breather and scrutinized Amano; his long brown hair, his dark sincere eyes, then Yukari with her shoulder length and reddish hair, with her brown eyes that matched the color of her locks and then smiled.

"I know you mean well and I understand you're worried about me, but I guess we miss each other more than we had thought… I care very much for Van and he cares a lot for me, we've been through so much…I wouldn't want to tell him to stop nor would I WANT him to stop…"

Hitomi paused and Yukari surprised her by asking her a question she was not prepared to answer.

"Why _did_ you choose to come back Hitomi?"

Amano looked at her with round eyes. Obviously they had discussed the matter and he didn't want it to be mentioned, but Yukari didn't show any reaction under his hard glare and concentrated on Hitomi. 

"I, I…" she started to answer. 

"You don't have to answer that Hitomi." Amano interrupted her.

"Yukari!" he scolded, "that is Hitomi's business and no one else's!"

Hitomi felt the rose creeping to her cheeks. Yukari looked down at her skirt, trying to brush off some imaginary hair.

"I'm sorry Hitomi, Amano's right, I shouldn't ask… forgive me." she looked up to her best friend. Hitomi was looking at her, her eyes full of unshed tears.

"Hitomi! Don't cry! I'm sorry, please don't cry!" Yukari moved closer to her friend but Hitomi stood up. 

"I'm such a fool, I'm sorry Yukari, I'm sorry Amano, I didn't mean to spoil your evening, I'm going home now." she reached for her bag on the booth and headed for the door.

"Hitomi wait!" shouted Amano as he stared hard at poor Yukari who was biting her lower lip. Noticing she wasn't stopping, he went after her.

"Hitomi, wait up!" he met her just past the restaurant doors, on the sidewalk.

"Please Hitomi, listen to me."

Hitomi stopped and turned around. She was now crying freely, her tears made a trail down her beautiful flushed cheeks.

"What is it Amano?" she questioned, harsher than she had intended.

Her reaction surprised Amano and his face became smooth and full of concern.

"Hitomi, we care too, we _care_ a lot." he added, insisting on the very words she had used to describe her feelings towards Van. "Yukari and I don't want you to hurt yourself and your Van unnecessarily. Somehow we get the feeling you two had more than friendship going on and this kind of relationship is hard when you're apart… I know, that's why I moved back, to be with Yukari… You sometimes have to make very difficult decisions, between friends, family, love… choosing is never easy, but you mustn't regret the choices you make, or else you're sure to live a long and sorry life Hitomi".

He came closer to her and wiped out her tears with both his thumbs. She put her hands on his, bringing them down to his side.

"You don't understand" she just told him. She turned around and started running towards the nearest bus stop. "_I made no choice, I never got the chance to make any choice!"_ she thought to herself, wiping her tears before getting on the bus, paying the fare and choosing a seat.

Amano watched her leave and felt a hand on his elbow.

"Did, you catch up to her?" asked Yukari who had just paid the dinner before going after them. 

"Yeah, I did" answered Amano, lost in his thoughts. 

"AND??" she demanded, impatient to find out if he had been able to repair her mistake.

"What can I say Yukari, our little Hitomi looks mixed up, much more than we had expected…"

Yukari frowned and looked at her shoes. "I shouldn't have brought it up."

Amano turned and looked at her with great love in his eyes.

"No, I think you did well, she needs to answer to that question… better sooner than later. She's strong, although it's not like her to go off like that or to cry, I believe she's been trough too much and she needs to think about it."

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

__

Soundtrack : For Lovers only

Song : Hitomi theme

In front of the Kanzaki's house, the moon was shining brightly. Few lights were illuminating the many windows. You could notice a faint, almost candlelight-like brightness coming from what must have been the reading lamp in the living room. There was another small glow coming from one of the rooms on the second floor. It was Hitomi's bedroom. She had gone straight up when she had arrived. Not bothering her parents in the living room and going right past her brother's bedroom, not bothering him either. She was now lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling. She was trying to think, but so many words, images and thoughts were going through her head it was about to explode. 

She decided to take a bath in an effort to clear her mind. While the water was running in the bathtub, she washed her face at the sink and watched herself in the mirror while drying her cheeks. Her short light brown hair was damp near her forehead and her eyes were shining like emeralds thanks to her tears. 

"_What am I doing_?" she thought to herself. "_What do I expect now?" _

She dropped into the heated water and started to play with the many bubbles that were flying here and there in front of her. This made her smile but soon an image of Van on the rocks brought her back to reality and she sunk her head under the water to make the pain go away. But it didn't, and she inevitably, had to resurface for air.

"_What now? What now?" _she kept asking herself. "_What do I do now?"_ she watched the steam raising from the water and thought of Van, being carefulnot to _summon_ him.

"I_t would be rather awkward_," she thought, imagining herself appearing in her bath in front of Van, where ever he was, what ever he was doing. 

"That would sure be embarrassing!" to this she grinned but it soon faded away, replaced by some unhappy smile.

"_Van, why did you push me away? I wanted to stay, I was used to being with you, with everybody, I was happy on Gaea… I didn't want to leave."_

She remembered when she and Van had put Escaflowne to sleep. Van had said he wanted to see what a world where Escaflowne was not needed was like. She had told Van she wanted to see it with him, but he had pushed her away, mentioning that when they would want to be with each other, they would be able to, with the power of their wishes.

"_My wishes."_ thought Hitomi.

"_My wishes were to be with you Van, but I guess you weren't ready for that were you?" _Hitomi frowned; she had almost expected an answer from the empty bathroom.

"_Well, I guess I have my answer. Oh Van… What was I thinking? Here I am, always so happy to see you, fantasizing that you've been coming more often for a reason, but deep down, I know that what I told the others is the real reason… You're just so busy with your duties, it's easy for you to get away and come here to me… you don't have any other intentions do you?" A_gain, no response from the bathroom.

"_Well, I should go on too… and just be happy to see you when I do! Not think of you and the others when we're not together… it's not… healthy."_

Tears came to her eyes at the thought but she refused to let them fall.

"_Okay Van, look's like this is the way it's going to be…"_

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

The next morning, just before sunrise, Yukari was surprised to find Hitomi early at the track. Her friend was jogging along the white lines, she looked as if she had been running for hours. Her skin was flushed, her shirt dripping with sweat. "What are you doing?" shouted Yukari amused but still a little worried.

"I'm rebuilding!" answered Hitomi at the top of her lungs as she raced past her best friend.

"Rebuilding?" repeated Yukari nearly screaming to be heard.

"Rebuilding my life Yukari!" added Hitomi.

"_Rebuilding your life…_" thought Yukari. "Oh Hitomi, are you sure?" she asked herself, knowing her friend was too far to hear her.

But the look of determination and the smile on Hitomi's face brushed her apprehension away and Yukari started to warm up near the track as Hitomi went past her again, a huge smirk on her lips.

"You'll never catch me Yukari!"

"We'll see about that in a few moments my dear friend!" Yukari answered smiling back, watching the warm sun leaping over their high school.

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

It was another beautiful sunrise over Fanelia's lush forests. Birds were chirping in the trees and small wild animals were scampering around under them. People were already up; men were working on rooftops, houses and barns. Women were at the fields working on the crops, near the river washing cloths and children were playing and shouting at each other. 

The people of Fanelia had return to construct their homes and the city had grown considerably during the last weeks. From the hill rising over the city of Fanelia, you could not tell that the city had been completely burned to the ground months ago. The many houses and buildings looked beautiful and the castle resting above the city, at the far end of the city limits, was standing tall with pride.

Laughter and joy of living could be heard from everywhere. The crowd at the market place was huge. Many people were shopping for food and materials for the day. Among them was a short cat-girl with yellow fur and bright pink hair, searching for something very particular.

"YAAWWW!!!" she yelled out at some children passing by who hadn't resist the envy to tug on her tail. "Stop pulling on my tail you little monsters!!" she yelled, turning back to only see them scatter around in order to not get caught. She went back to her shopping, looking gloomy. She hadn't had any luck in finding what she was looking for. A merchant witnessed her unhappy gaze and came up to her.

"Watch y'a looking for Merle?" he asked nicely. 

"Nothing…" she answered with a pout. 

"Common Merle, I'm sure I can help, now tell me what you'd like." the nice man asked her again. 

"It's really nothing Katti, it's Lord Van's birthday coming up and..." 

"That's right!" he cut off than added: "There's going to be a great festivity in his honor and in the honor of Fanelia's rebirth!! I bet your looking for a gift for the King, am I right?"

"Well that wasn't very hard to assume…" Merle twitched crossing her arms and turning her head to the side, her nose high in the air. Opening one eye but not moving, she asked: "Do you have anything that Lord Van would like for his anniversary?"

"I'm sure you'll find something of your liking my dear little one, come closer…" Katti answered with a smile. 

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

From the immense windows of the castle, the King was looking down on his city and his people. His hands clasped together behind his back, he could not help a smile creeping up to his lips. He had done it. He had won the war, revenged his family and lost ones, had rebuilt Fanelia to its former beauty and brought back together its people.

"_I wish you could see this Hitomi._"he thought.

A slight knock on the door of his large study echoed through the room.

"Come in." he answered, not bothering to turn around.

"My Lord," a barely perceivable but lovely and very feminine voice echoed to his ears. "Breakfast is served."

"Thank You Lyla, I'll be down in a minute." he answered, still not looking back.

The maid bowed and left the room. Van put his gloved hand to the glass of the window and watched the sun rise into the pink sky. He brought his other hand to his heart, toying with something underneath his red shirt. 

"_This is going to be another incredibly long day_."he thought, before turning around and leaving.

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

After breakfast, Van went out to see what was left to be done in preparation for the celebrations that were held the next day and evening. Invitations had been sent to all of Fanelia's allies and friends. There were to be activities during the entire day and a great ball was to be held the same evening. Affirmative responses had come from everywhere and Van was sure all of Gaea would be there. Therefore, he wanted everything to be perfect.

As he made his rounds, he realized with satisfaction that everything was ready: the decorations, the food, the rooms, the many games and activities, the performers… everything except… 

"LORD VAANN!!" A familiar voice called out to him. Van smiled and turned around, his arms open and ready to welcome his little friend.

"Good morning Merle!" he said, catching her in his arms. "And why were you not at the breakfast table with me this morning?"

Merle stopped licking his cheek and pinned an enormous smile on her face.

"You'll see Lord Van! You'll be so happy! I can't wait to give you my gift tomorrow!!"

The King didn't care for gifts and presents but he knew it meant the world to his companion.

"Oh I see, out shopping… well I'm sure I'll be delighted with your gift. I'm certain it will be the best gift I have ever had!"

With that, the cat-girl surrounded him in her arms and almost strangled him.

"Thank you for saying that Lord Van! What are you doing in town anyway?"

Van started walking again and Merle followed him.

"Look how everything is lovely Merle." he responded, looking at the well-sculpted buildings and monuments.

They continued walking until they were completely out of the city and climbing the hill to the outer limits of the town.

"Lord Van? Is everything alright?" asked Merle, noticing his silence and lost glare.

"Of course Merle, why do you ask?"

"Just worried…" she answered looking at the large path they had taken.

"Well don't be, there's no reason to be sad, in fact, I can only think of reasons to be happy!" he looked back and put an arm around her shoulders.

Still walking side by side, she looked up.

"Only reasons to be happy?"

Van looked down and saw in her eyes it was no use trying to hide something from her.

"Almost" he replied with a small smile.

They came to a stop and looked back. The scenery was breathtaking. A huge mountain with a distant but great waterfall, exquisite birds flying near it, great trees of many greens all looking down at Fanelia in the center of the forest and canyon, at the foot of the mountain.

"Oh Lord Van, our home is beautiful!"

"Yes it is Merle, it is so very much."

Merle noticed how he unconsciously reached for his heart and played with something under his shirt. She frowned at this but did not say a thing and gazed back at the view.

"Merle?" Van asked, out of his breath. 

"Hmm?" she answered. 

"Let's go home…"

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

__

If you have any comments , or if you wish to join the official mailing list,

please write to : celenashezar@hotmail.com

AIM : Celenasan

MSN : celena


	2. The Irony

Another Vision of Escaflowne 

Another Vision of Escaflowne

Disclaimer: _Usual disclaimers apply regarding Tenkuu no Escaflowne. The following is an Original Escaflowne fanfiction / fanart. The story, new characters and events are our own creation. Any resemblance with any other fanwork is purely coincidental. _

Author : Celena

Editor: Bellsandy

Illustrator: Bellsandy

****

~~ Delight in the Experience : http://bellsandi.tripod.com/AVE/index.html_ **~~**_

**__**

~~ Immerse yourself in the Experience : here **~~**

****

Episode II

The Irony

The clouds were slowly hiding the bright sun over Hitomi's high school. Although you still could see the azure of the sky, you could tell a shower would be falling before the night. As Amano and Yukari were stretched on the verdant grass of the schoolyard, Hitomi was sitting beside them, her back reposing on the trunk of a tree, eating her lunch while studying a textbook for one of her exams. She and Yukari had not spoken since that morning on the track, and Yukari was starting to become quite curious about what was on Hitomi's mind to have her be so joyful this day when she looked like a wreck the evening before. 

"Hey Hitomi…." Yukari started, almost inaudible.

"I knew it!" exclaimed Hitomi with a grin, putting her book aside. "I knew you wouldn't last the day without asking me!!"

"Ask you what?" demanded Amano who had not yet heard of his beloved Yukari's and good friend Hitomi's morning together. 

Hitomi started to laugh and added:

"You mean to tell me Yukari held her tongue this long without telling you?"

"Tell me what??" shrugged Amano a little annoyed and glaring at Yukari with questioning eyes. Yukari just smiled at him which made things worst and as he lifted his chest while laying on his elbows he shouted: "Will somebody tell me what's with you two?"

"It's okay, don't panic Amano." said Yukari, sitting up and putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I just wasn't sure if Hitomi would want to talk about it, after last night, I didn't want to ruin things again…"

Amano cocked his head to the side and watched Hitomi questioningly. Hitomi smiled at him, and then at Yukari and reached for both their hands which obliged Amano to sit up as well. 

"My good friends," she started "Thank you for last night…"

"Hitomi…" whispered Yukari.

"I…I needed that, I really did. The truth is, I was lying to myself. I believed that there was a possibility of sharing something… unique with Van but I was deceiving myself. He cares about me of course, but not in the same way." 

Then she smiled. "It doesn't take a fortune-teller to see that."

"Hitomi… are you sure he doesn't feel the same?" asked Amano. "Why would he be coming to see you so often lately?" 

"It's as I said yesterday." began Hitomi. "He has a lot of work, it's just too many duties for such a young and inexperienced King, he doesn't have time for anything other than his obligations, it's easy for us to think of each other and communicate while we're doing something else…"

"I still don't understand how you two do it…" remarked Yukari in amazement.

"It's not that hard… really, we focus our thoughts on each other, preferably at the same time, then we're together… either I'm there if I'm the one that wanted to see him first, or he appears to me here if he's the first to think of me. Although we don't travel physically, we still see each other, the one that summoned in the environment the other is in."

"Whoa, this stuff is too much." sulked Amano. "And you think a bond like that doesn't mean anything??"

"Well, I think that the power of Atlantis, as I spoke of this before, is very strong in my family and in his draconian bloodline… I really don't know why though, but I would think that that is what's keeping the bond living…"

"But didn't you once say that the power of Atlantis was the power of wishes and so both you and Van's wishes are keeping the link alive? Which would mean that it really is his wish, to be seeing you. Doesn't that mean anything?" questioned Yukari. 

Hitomi opened her mouth to respond than closed it. She opened it again, and again closed it. "Stop tormenting me!" she scolded as she thought of no rational explanation and caught Yukari in a headlock and started to mess up her hair.

"Hey, cut it out!!" yelled an unlucky Yukari. "Amano! Save me!" she cried out laughing.

"Sorry, I'm not sure I should get involved in a chick's fight, I wouldn't want to get hurt or anything…" he responded.

"Oh is that so?" roared Yukari as she was escaping Hitomi's grasp. "Would you care to repeat that, if you dare?"

Hitomi giggled at the scene but did not interfere. 

"Sorry again, I would rather not" answered Amano, his eyes closed and arms crossed. "Wouldn't be good for my health."

"I thought so…" added Yukari smiling, pinching him hard on the arm.

Amano's face turned blue but he resisted the envy to cry out.

"Anyway, I'm pretty sure that once things get into place in Fanelia, Van will be coming a lot less" frowned Hitomi, bringing the two sweethearts back to reality.

"Hitomi…" whispered Amano.

Then Hitomi plastered a giant smile on her face and added: "That's why I'm going to ask Van to reduce our _meetings_ as of now. No need to have me keeping my hopes up for nothing, and besides, he shouldn't mind."

It was Yukari's turn to whisper Hitomi's name. "You're very brave Hitomi." she added for her friend to hear.

"I'll be okay, I've put a lot of thought into this and it's the right thing to do." replied a very convinced and by so convincing Hitomi.

"You know what's best Hitomi" added Amano. He was about to add something else but the school bell rung announcing the end of lunchtime. 

The three friends waved good-bye to each other and separated for their afternoon classes. Hitomi was smiling brightly. The decision had been hard, but it was made, and she would live with it. She would not regret it as her track team captain had warned her. Her heart would be swollen for a time, but she would be alright. She believed in herself, and with her past experiences, she knew that was all that mattered.

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

The day was going well for the people of Fanelia, the city was busy under the mellow sun's rays. At the castle, the new High General was inspecting his new army of Samurais at the King's request. He knew well the King's fears of war and understood that the last time Fanelia was celebrating, the county had burned to the ground. He could comprehend one's apprehension after working so hard in bringing every Fanelian subject together again. He recognized the King's need to feel his people and guests safe, even if the Great War was over and the Zaibach Empire dismantled. 

"General Gushen." said a young but firm voice behind him.

"Milord." he responded, turning around and kneeling, instantly recognizing his King.

"You may rise General. Tell me the status of your troops." the King ordered.

Gushen obeyed and followed the King as he was walking by his newly assembled army. Hundreds of men were standing in rows with pride as their King was scrutinizing them. "They lack experience for most of them are pretty young, but their courage and strength should honor Fanelia greatly. Since there is no threat to Fanelia at this point, I am sure that the other Generals and I will have the time necessary to train them into fine combatants." 

"I see…" the King turned and stared at his High General. Gushen reminded him very much of his once very trusted Balgus. Gushen was wise and well known throughout the land for his incredible victories against different opponents. Balgus had spoken of him once, saying it was disappointing not to have his dear friend by his side, to serve Fanelia's kingdom. Something about being too much alike to get along being continually side by side.

"Well done General, I am very pleased with this news, I am also very happy that immerse you accepted my offer and decided to honor Fanelia by agreeing to be it's army's High General." Van smiled sincerely and headed for the Royal gardens. 

"The honor is mine My Lord." Gushen replied, bowing at his King's leave. As he watch him go, he thought of his past, the way King Goau had very much wanted him to join his forces. Balgus had once asked him, even before Van's birth, to join Fanelia, as he was to leave for an unknown period of time, but Gushen had refused. He was not ready to be rooted just yet. When the new young King had asked for his assistance two months ago, he felt the time had come to _settle_ in the capital, and serve and protect the one Balgus had been so devotedly attached to.

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

As Van entered the Gardens, he followed the small stoned path traversing the many different varieties of exotic flowers and plants. He didn't bother to halt at the sumptuous lagoon in the middle of the grounds. He continued his way through the sanctuary and passed by the shrine. Soon in front of him, was a small clearing, trees were surrounding it and their branches almost entirely screened the sky. A veil of vines covering an enormous statue rested at the far end of the miniature meadow. 

__

Soundtrack : Original soundtrack one

Song : Eyes

He headed to his left and opened a low brass fence that was protecting a tremendous monument of stone with small steps on the front. He kneeled in front of it. On a column was engraved the names of his departed ancestors, including Van's respected father Goau, his beloved mother Varie and his missed brother Folken. The young King brought his hands together and began to pray. Sitting on his legs, he closed his eyes and meditated upon his lost family. 

"_Father, Mother, Brother, do you acknowledge what I have completed? Are you content with what the people of Fanelia has accomplished in such a short period? I am proud of our people. They are strong and love our country. We finally did it… Fanelia is grand once again, and I am presently putting and army together that will never fall against an enemy. I hope never to have to send our men to battle, but if it is necessary… Fanelia will never go through that again, never again." _

Van bit his lower lip and opened his eyes. 

__

"Mother, I am troubled with something, I don't know what to do, I've never been clever with matters of…" Van thought of the right choice of words and continued, "_… the heart, and I note my lack in capacity of communicating with others when sentiments are involved… except with Merle who's been with me forever."_

Van grinned and pursued his thoughts.

__

"I know she cares for me as deeply as I do for her, even if we never worded our feelings, I perceive they are true but… I don't know how… I just don't know how!" 

Van looked up to the trees around him, waiting for an answer. A vision of Hitomi smiling suddenly hit him and it disappeared just as fast. 

"Right" he said aloud. 

Van brought his hands to his forehead, then to his lips and touched the large stone with the tip of his fingers before standing and turning to his right. Van approached the hidden shape and started to stroke away the many vines and leafs and revealed the knee of the giant structure. Promptly, Van had cleared the entire surface. 

He backed away and observed the sleeping guardian. He held his breath as he put his gloved hand up to feel the smooth alloy. 

"_I'll ask her to tomorrow's ball._" 

Lifting his gaze to meet Escaflowne's, he suddenly remembered to breathe. "_No! Not nervous at all!_" he thought to himself grinning. "_I've got to do this in person though…_" he turned around and headed for the castle. 

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

It was the middle of the afternoon, Van knew Hitomi would finish her classes soon and she would be heading to the tracks for practice, he could meet with her there. Entering the castle, he met his chambermaid. 

"Lyla, good, I must speak with you..."

"Your Highness," greeted Lyla, bowing.

"I will be absent this evening, important matters to attend to. Please give my apologies to Merle and the others. I shall be back before morning" he said quickly.

"My lord?!" questioned a perplexed Lyla, lifting her head.

"No questions, tell everyone not to worry," he retorted.

"As you wish," replied the maid.

Van smiled at her and left once again for the gardens. Being careful not to encounter Merle, he made it to the Lagoon without problems. At that point, the rest of the gardens were forbidden and reserved to the Royal house.

"_Which basically means me…_" thought Van sarcastically.

Arriving at Escaflowne, Van stood impressed by the magnificence of his melef. He surrounded the defender and reached his hand behind some leafs camouflaging a drag-energist. He glared at the rose stone and brought it up high above his head. He concentrated on Hitomi, her short honey colored hair, her sea green eyes, her fantastic smile, her devoted personality, and suddenly, a bright pillar of light enveloped him and took him off to the heavens, leaving nothing but a blue sparkling and glittering trail behind him. 

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

__

If you have any comments , or if you wish to join the official mailing list,

please write to : celenashezar@hotmail.com

AIM : Celenasan

MSN : celena


	3. The first Vision

Another Vision of Escaflowne 

Another Vision of Escaflowne

Disclaimer: _Usual disclaimers apply regarding Tenkuu no Escaflowne. The following is an Original Escaflowne fanfiction / fanart. The story, new characters and events are our own creation. Any resemblance with any other fanwork is purely coincidental. _

Author : Celena

Editor: Bellsandy

Illustrator: Bellsandy

****

~~ Delight in the Experience : http://bellsandi.tripod.com/AVE/index.html_ **~~**_

**__**

~~ Immerse yourself in the Experience : here **~~**

****

Episode III

The first Vision

It was the end of the afternoon in Fanelia and families were starting to gather for the evening meal. Even though the sun was still up, the air was getting cool and the children were invited by their parents to come inside. 

Merle was in the castle, walking along the wide, stoned corridors with imposing windows on one side, allowing a view over the city of Fanelia and the horizon beyond with the setting sun and rising moons in the sky. Lead by her olfactory senses she was heading for the kitchens for dinner when she heard her lord's chambermaid Lyla speaking with her brother Lyle, known as one of Van's council members.

"He said not to worry, I assure you." she was saying softly, looking at the ground. Her long curly silver-blue hair coming down on each side of her tanned face.

"What do you mean not to worry? He's missing for crying out loud!" Lyle hissed, trying to keep his voice down.

"Who's missing?" asked Merle approaching them, her ears twitching, as they were always when Merle's curiosity had the better of her.

"Uh... Merle!" greeted Lyle smiling. 

He was a tall man, the youngest of the council and becoming close friends with Van. His long silver-violet hair was combed into a fine braid that reached his belt. His eyes were a soft blue and his skin tanned. He was wearing the usual robe for the council members, a long, green and black tunic with a leather belt. 

Merle liked Lyle a lot. He was one of the few that were honestly nice to her. Not just being kind because of her relationship with Van. Many people of the court did not like having a low race cat-girl among them and only tolerated her because of King Van's affection for her. Merle hated having to endure their hard stares all the time, but staying close to Van was the most important thing to her and it made the daily difficulties diminish. 

As soon as Merle noticed Lyle's smile, she feared the worst. Her senses told her that Lyle was trying to hide something.

"Lyle, where's Lord Van?" she asked, refraining her panic.

"The King left for the evening, he shall return shortly." Lyle answered, eyeing his sister not to say a word.

"Where did he go?" asked Merle with a frown.

"We… I don't know Merle." Lyle answered defeated by her sad eyes. "He told Lyla he'd be back before morning" he added. 

He then turned to his sister and lectured her for not coming to tell him sooner. As a distressed Lyla tried her best to justify herself, Merle looked up to the Mystic Moon through one of the many windows of the corridor, the devastated expression on her face revealed too well her worries.

"Lord Van…" she whispered.

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

You could no longer see the blue of the sky nor the sun over Hitomi's high school. The air was warm though, and as a bird soared high above, a brilliant pillar of light appeared from beyond, right in the middle of the school's track field, deposing gently a young man, with dark raven hair and fiery eyes.

When Van touched the ground, the pillar lifted away, showering him with a shimmering dust. Van looked around with satisfaction, he could not ask for a better _landing_ _spot_. There was only to wait for Hitomi. Bringing his fists to his waist, he realized something was terribly wrong. He had brought along his sword! He remembered Hitomi's shock when she had first seen him, the first time he had come, and she had told him afterwards that swords weren't common weapons on the Mystic Moon. 

He looked around swiftly and sighed in relief that no one was there. He dashed to the end of the track, in the opposite direction of the school and leaped over the high metal fence. He hid among the large trees that were on the other side. He quickly unbuckled his belt and withdrew his sword and it's sheath. He climbed up one of the trees and solidly attached his sword with the help of his belt to a large tree branch. 

"_There, no one shall find it here." _he thought, pleased with himself. 

__

Soundtrack : For Lovers only

Song : The Vision of Escaflowne

At that moment, he heard the school bell proclaiming the end of classes. Van jumped to the ground and stayed crouched. His heart began to pound as students wearing uniforms like Hitomi's started to emerge from the different entrances of the school. He spotted men and women, laughing and shouting and speaking a language he could not understand.

Most were leaving the school but some were gathering along the track field, wearing long sleeved coats and pants, taking them off, uncovering a running ensemble that Van recognized since Hitomi used to wear the same sort of running gear when she trained on Gaea. Van thought it showed way to much skin, but folks on this planet did not seem to mind. After a few minutes, all the runners were getting warmed up.

Van could here his heart thudding in his ears, but he could still hear the soft raindrops starting to come down on the leafs around him. He did not get wet though, there wasn't enough drizzle and the trees were protecting him. Suddenly, an older man, probably their mentor, clapped his hands and ordered them into two groups: Men and Women. Van realized Hitomi had to be in the women's group, but he could not see her at all. He began to worry but calmed himself down as he recognized an impatient looking girl that looked very much like Hitomi's friend when he had came the first time. Yes, he was sure it was her. 

She was looking back at the school. She was wearing her school uniform and looked distressed. 

"_Bet you're waiting for someone… you have to be waiting for someone!_" he thought. 

The men got into racing position and this made the girl very upset. She kept glancing at the school, waiting for, Van hoped, Hitomi. A sharp BANG was heard and the men were off, running rapidly around the track, one easily surpassing the others in speed. Van recognized him too.

"Amano." he said aloud for Hitomi had spoken of him at times.

Then his heart sank. What if she still had feelings for this Amano and became his? Since he and Hitomi were apart, why would she not? Van shook those ideas away, knowing he was getting cold feet about asking her to the ball. 

As Amano won the race, Van heard her voice. Her precious, sweet voice, calling out to… Yukari! That was her name, he remembered now, hearing Hitomi repeat the name as she was rushing along the staircase leading to the track. At her sight, Van forgot he didn't want to reveal himself before most of the students had left the schoolyard and jumped up and clung to the fence, watching Hitomi undress through the iron squares of the fence. No one had noticed him, with luck. And all of Van's attention was directed to Hitomi and Hitomi alone. She was hurrying to undress, tossing her shoes aside, Yukari helping her to strip from her coat and pants.

Hitomi then rapidly put on her track shoes. The other women were already taking position on the track field and Hitomi rushed to their side, taking position as well. She looked as attractive as she did when she had left Fanelia a couple months ago. Her white shirt was already a little wet from the sweat of her run to the track, her bangs were pasted on her forehead due to the increasing pour but she didn't seem to care. She looked… happy. But Van didn't bother with that detail, he was too busy admiring Hitomi, even though she was many meters away…

The familiar BANG resonated in the air and the women vaulted upward, sprinting to the finish line. Even if they were running very fast, it all seemed to be in slow motion for Van. He admired Hitomi, there was a glare of determination in her eyes, and she did not seem to mind the drops of rain sliding down her cheeks. Her white shirt was getting wetter because of the increasing rain and it was allowing her curves to show just a little more. Her pink shorts exposed long, muscular legs; their long strides were carrying her to the lead of the racers, allowing her to arrive at the finish line first.

Van snapped out of his reverie and glanced around to assure himself he hadn't attracted too much attention. He then backed away, and rested against the nearest trunk behind him exhaling some air he hadn't realized he was keeping. Her companions who seemed to be felicitating her for the run were surrounding Hitomi. Yukari and Amano approached her as well and the last took her in his arms, razing her and twirling her in the air while the others were laughing. Van winced but didn't move. 

The faint rain suddenly developed into a genuine shower, falling severely upon the people under it. The students started shouting, picking up their things and heading for cover. Amano put Hitomi down and started running as well. Passing near Yukari, he lifted her in his arms and took her along with him. The view pleased Van, slowly acknowledging that perhaps, Yukari and Amano were together… Amano turned and Yukari yelled to Hitomi, who was the last on the track field now, but Hitomi didn't move. Amano continued towards the school, halting only once he and Yukari were under its shelter. They cried to Hitomi but she was completely ignoring them, her face to the sky, her arms open, she seemed to enjoy the torrent. She turned around slowly in circles and stopped after a few turns, facing Van.

"_This is it."_ he thought, leaping over the fence, and approaching her.

He hadn't walked half the distance separating them, his clothes and hair were entirely drenched. Hitomi, as if she had sensed his presence, dropped her arms down to her side and slowly brought her gaze to his. 

"Van…" she whispered softly.

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

The school bell had just rung and students were coming out of their classes and in the corridor heading for their lockers. The end of the school year was near and you could feel the energy in the air. Hitomi, after saluting her teacher, headed for her locker as well. Walking along the many corridors to her locker, students greeted her, some asking her for a tarot reading later on. 

"I already told you, I gave up readings!" she answered them with a smile, knowing they were tempting her just to see if she would change her mind about it.

Arriving at her locker, she opened it and set her books on the shelf. 

"Hitomi! What are you still doing here?" she heard one of her friends asking her from behind. "Yukari is going to get you for this!"

"Get me for what?" asked Hitomi turning around.

"You forgot the track meet!" her schoolmate replied.

Hitomi gazed at the short black hair girl and answered. "No I didn't it's only in half an hour!"

"You mean to tell me you didn't hear it on the intercom? They announced at lunchtime that the track team was allowed to finish earlier to get ready for the training right after school, due to the bad weather coming up."

"Oh no!" exclaimed Hitomi, closing the door to her locker and running for the gym. "Thank you!" she shouted at her back.

Once in the gym, Hitomi sprinted for the girl's locker room and entered it. She headed straight for her locker and opened its door quickly. She hurried into her pink shorts and white shirt. She then put on her jogging pants and her track team coat. She closed the locker's door and sat on a bench to tie her shoelaces. At that moment, she was suddenly surrounded in darkness. Hitomi recognized the feeling immediately. She looked around but couldn't see anything and her eyes just didn't seem to adjust to the blackness.

She heard a woman's voice calling her name:

"Hitomi don't!"

She looked around but couldn't see anyone.

"Please don't!" the voice pleaded again.

Then, the girl's locker room immediately reappeared to her. She looked around "Who said that?" she asked confused, but she got no answer. Hitomi frowned, but she had no time to think about it, she had to get to the track.

She ran all the way there, bumping into some students on the way, begging for forgiveness every time. Past the doors of the school, she heard a gunshot.

"_Oh no! I sure hope that was the boys start and not the girls…"_

She dashed for the track field, not feeling the small drops of rain on her face, and when she was near enough to be heard, called out to Yukari. 

"There you are! Where have you been?" Yukari nagged. "You keep doing that to me! Don't you understand you get me in trouble every time?"

As she was speaking, she was helping Hitomi to strip from her coat and jogging pants. "The men have already run Hitomi, hurry!" she added.

Hitomi put on her track shoes and rapidly joined the other women on the track. She kneeled down and concentrated. As all became black again, a vision of Van, looking terribly sad, appeared before her but only in a sudden flash and it quickly vanished. Hitomi gazed in front of her, trying to brush the image away and decided to give it all she had.

The start was given by a huge BANG and they were off! Hitomi visualized her goal and she swiftly gained the lead. In a matter of seconds, she had crossed the finish line, first.

The team coach approached her "Congratulations Kanzaki, you've reached a new record…" with that, he showed her her time. Hitomi opened her eyes wide. The time was incredible! Her friends surrounded her, cheering her for her record.

"Hitomi! You were just plain FANTASTIC!" Amano shouted, raising her and twirling her in the air while the others were laughing.

"Yes, Hitomi, you were simply outrageous out there!" added Yukari, wiping away a raindrop from her nose.

The faint rain suddenly developed into a genuine shower, falling severely upon the people under it. The students started shouting, picking up their things and heading for cover. Amano put Hitomi down and started running as well. Passing near Yukari, he lifted her in his arms and took her along with him. Hitomi watched her companions flee but she couldn't move. Sure she was able to feel the stormy shower over her head and shoulders, but for some unknown reason, it felt good. It was as if all her troubles and fears for the inevitable future were washed away with the severe pour.

Amano turned and Yukari yelled to Hitomi, who was the last on the track field now, but Hitomi didn't move. She lifted her face to the sky and closed her eyes. Hitomi smiled to the rain, raising her arms in the air and welcoming the refreshing water on her cheeks. Her clothes were rapidly completely soaked and she started to turn around slowly in circles while Amano continued towards the school, halting only once he and Yukari were under it's shelter.

They cried out to Hitomi but she was completely ignoring them. She felt free. Free of torments, free of war, free of a boring society on Earth, free of the loneliness that had started eating her up when she had taken the decision about Van. But, stopping her twirl, an image of him, _on the track field with her_ crossed her mind. She realized she wasn't alone. She slowly, knowingly, sensing his presence, dropped her arms down to her side and slowly brought her gaze to his.

"Van…" she whispered softly. 

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

__

If you have any comments , or if you wish to join the official mailing list,

please write to : celenashezar@hotmail.com

AIM : Celenasan

MSN : celena


	4. The keeper

Another Vision of Escaflowne 

Another Vision of Escaflowne

Disclaimer: _Usual disclaimers apply regarding Tenkuu no Escaflowne. The following is an Original Escaflowne fanfiction / fanart. The story, new characters and events are our own creation. Any resemblance with any other fanwork is purely coincidental. _

Author : Celena

Editor: Bellsandy

Illustrator: Bellsandy

****

~~ Delight in the Experience : http://bellsandi.tripod.com/AVE/index.html_ **~~**_

**__**

~~ Immerse yourself in the Experience : here **~~**

****

Episode IV

The Keeper

It was late, very late. Merle couldn't rest knowing her companion wasn't in the safety of the castle. She gazed at the clear Gaean sky and wished to the stars that he was alright. She pulled on her blanket, closing her eyes for the hundredth time, trying to get some sleep. She didn't see the string of light descending from the Mystic moon and into the royal gardens.

Her ears twitched and she reopened her eyes again, staring at the moons above. A muffled sound coming from the gardens charged her like electricity and she jolted up to her window. She could not see anyone but she knew he was back, she could feel him. She laid her blanket on her shoulder like a cape to protect her from the cool night and jumped down from her second floor window and agilely landed on the roofing of the first floor. She then hopped down to the solid ground and headed for the direction she had heard the cries.

She soon found Van, resting under the dark shades of a tree. Head down, he was sitting, his legs to his chest, his arms around them.

"Lord Van…" she whispered, tears coming to her eyes.

"_What did she do to him?_" she asked the cool night, approaching him carefully. Van made no movement and she put an arm around him. He was drenched from head to toe and she wondered if he had fallen in a lake or something. He whimpered in silence as Merle put her blanket over the dripping and cold frame of her friend. She put a paw on his hand and he manifested his thanks by holding it tightly.

Merle sat next to Van, put her other arm around his shoulders and rested her head against his arm, trying to see the face he hid between his knees. She sighed and held him close, giving him as much warmth her little body could give.

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

A severe rain was falling and the city was silent under its fury. Everyone had gone inside for shelter and was waiting for the downpour to end before going anywhere and continuing with their day. A breeze was gradually rising and the shower was slowly turning into a storm.

Outside Hitomi's high school, every student had disappeared, either gone home or back in the school for refuge. There was only one student who remained in the schoolyard, on the track field, and she was much to dumbfounded to even feel the rain anymore…

" Ohmigosh!" exclaimed Yukari, once she had a good look at the boy in front of Hitomi. She and Amano were still standing under the school's roof.

"What?" asked Amano, trying to see across the rain the two last individuals standing in the middle of the track field, yards away.

"It's HIM!" responded Yukari, her heart skipping a beat.

Amano eyed his love. "Are you sure? How can you see anything trough this rain?"

"It's him alright…" said Yukari lightly, but what is he doing here?"

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

"Van…" Hitomi stared at the boy in front of her not believing her eyes. He was at least an inch taller, surprisingly, since she had seen him only months earlier. His unruly coal black hair was drooping over his forehead and shoulders and small glittering drops of rain fell from his cheeks, over his swollen lips. Hundreds of thoughts, questions, hopes, bumped in her head, and she was not able to voice any of them.

It was the same for Van. She was finally in front of him, emerald eyes washing away his ruby ones with an expression he could not define. His words cowered into a deep silence, not knowing what to say and not wanting to trouble the charm. There they stood, both under the deluge, soaking wet, not able to do or say anything.

Surprisingly, Van was the first to smile and had almost to shout to be heard in the rain.

"Maybe we should get to a shelter or something…" he stopped dead in his sentence when Hitomi closed the gap between them and put her arms around his neck, resting her head to his, breathing in his intoxicating scent.

Van, still not used to this type of demonstration of affection, slowly brought his arms around her waist and held her close. Van blushed at the feel of her soft, curved body against his, but immediately broke their embrace when he felt her shivering against him. 

"Let's get you somewhere dry." he said softly to her ears, still blushing as he felt the heat of her breath on his neck.

Hitomi wondered why he had said that, she wasn't cold. In fact, the air was warm and she felt like melting in his arms, but Van must had felt her body tremble when she had thought of leaving his arms and had mistook her longing for cold. Hitomi frowned, but surely it was better this way…

She grabbed her jogging suit and shoes and followed Van, wondering where he was taking her. Van didn't know himself. Their feet leading the way, they found themselves up at the shrine where Van had slayed the dragon months ago…They hid under its protection and stayed soundless, listening to the rain and thunder. Hitomi eventually grasped the fact that her cloths were entirely drenched, her white shirt clearly showing her bra and erected peaks underneath, her pink shorts were closely adhering to her butt and legs.

Hitomi blushed and crossed her arms over he breast. Van noticed nothing. Absorbed, he was gazing deeply into the rain, uncomfortable, not knowing where to begin. She put on her coat to cover her top and decided to dry of her shorts before putting on her pants. Van turned to her and smiled. He admired her for a long period before speaking, the sight of her beauty creating a void in his mind.

"_I understand my feelings for her, but_ s_he didn't use to have this affect on me… what's going on?"_

"Hitomi…" he began, "How have you been?" he watched her expression, trying to find a trace of solitude and sadness, which would bring him hope and courage to ask her what he had came for.

"Fine" she started, smiling brightly. "When I came back, I had a lot of work to do, with my school work and all…" she halted, her heart drumming under his intense gaze.

Van grinned, never acknowledging the effect he had on her.

"I'm sure you did really well" he replied, knowing Hitomi was smart and could achieve all she wished.

"What about you?" she asked, trying to delay as much as possible the discussion she had planned for them the night before.

"Things are really great for Fanelia." he replied. "Countries from all around came to lend a helping hand after you left, some brought supplies, some brought materials and tools… all the people of Fanelia soon came back and joined the rebuilding… I wish you could have been there…" he trailed off, looking away in the rain again.

Hitomi bit her lower lip. "_Could it be? Does he miss me the same way I miss him?_" 

Van built up his determination and continued. "The construction went really well, and very rapidly too… actually, we're just about finished and the kingdom has organized festiv…"

Hitomi interrupted him when she heard the fantastic news about Fanelia's fast reconstruction.

"Van that's wonderful news!" she gasped, holding her hands together. "I knew it! I knew when I left that you were going to complete the building, I had no doubt that you were the best one for the job, I'm so proud of you!"

Van flushed hearing all Hitomi's praises. He knew he couldn't have done it alone.

"I was lucky to have the aid of the neighboring countries, and the people of Fanelia responded to my call when I announced through out Gaea the rebuilding of their countries capital… and Merle was a great support when things were getting tough… and there was you… you've always trusted me and it gave me great confidence…"

"Still Van, you have it in you. You're a young King, but you're a great one already." Hitomi stepped closer to him smiling and took his hand in hers, entwining her fingers to his.

Van glanced at their hands, wishing he could glue them together. They sat on the wooden floor of the temple and talked during the entire evening and most of the night. Hitomi thought of her parents once or twice but calculated that Amano and Yukari must have alerted them of Van's arrival. Her mother would not worry, she knew about Van and would probably be happy to know Hitomi was with him. Besides, she enjoyed the intimacy and didn't want to leave his side.

The storm was still strong and it was no time to go out. She preferred to stay with Van in the shrine, where they could talk as long as they wanted. She was apprehensive about the moment when she would have to tell him about her resolution, but tried not to think about it, concentrating on the present time and on Van. 

Van was a wreck inside. He was so happy to be here, sitting next to Hitomi, still holding her hand. He had dreamed of this moment, and couldn't find anything else exciting to say than talk about Merle and Fanelia. Although Hitomi looked very interested (which she was), he tried to change the conversation in her direction and have her talk about her world and life. He admired the passion in her eyes when she described the final track meet she had won. Van tried his best to find a way to introduce the festivities and the ball so he could ask her, but couldn't. So they kept on talking and talking and after many hours, silence filled the air and they both concentrated on the weather. Van hated the uncomfortable silence and said the first thing coming to his mind.

"Anyway, at least now that the construction is done, I can get some work done for Fanelia and its people. I'll be busy putting together councils, sentinels for protection, healers, educators, I've been thinking of all I have to do and there is still so much work! I had no idea of all the duties a King could have!"

Hitomi's smile broke as she was reminded of what she had planned to tell him.

"Van…" she began, breaking away from him.

Van noticed her sad appearance and worried he had said something wrong.

"What is it Hitomi? You can tell me." he encouraged her, smiling faintly.

"Van, I'm glad things are going good for both of us, things seem to be falling into place…" 

Van did not like AT ALL the tone she had and where the conversation was going, and he felt his heart pound in his chest but remained silent.

"I've been pretty busy myself these past weeks, and I'm in the middle of my final exams…" she turned her head away from him, pretending to be gazing at the rain, and summoned the courage to pursue. "I don't have much time to myself lately and I was thinking perhaps you'd like some free time of your own…"

Van closed his eyes, not wanting to believe what he was hearing. He managed to retain the tears that were now burning his eyes.

"_How could this be?"_ he asked himself "_I was so sure…"_

Hitomi interrupted his thoughts as she had gained to guts to finish what she had started.

"Don't you think it would be a good idea to see each other a little less now that we know everything is alright? I mean, we both have our lives and it doesn't keep us from being good friends right?" she turned and watched for a reaction and got none. Van was standing, eyes closed, hands sealed into fists to his side, he wouldn't say a word.

"Van?" Hitomi asked, as she stood up herself, not sure of his sentiments to what she had just said.

"I… I have to agree that we both have our lives to live, and I wouldn't want to disturb you in anyway…" he slowly answered her, never opening his eyes.

"Oh Van! You don't disturb me! You could never disturb me!" she came closer to him but he backed away. "Van, please…"

"No, it's okay Hitomi" He looked up to her. "I came here to tell you… the same thing, guess you beat me to it." he added with a sad smile.

"_ Damn!"_ thought Hitomi, refraining her tears "_and here I was hoping he had come for another reason…"_

"Well, I'm glad we agree Van, don't you?" she answered ruefully.

Van hesitated to respond. His heart was burning, his head wanted to explode. The hurt was encircling him and he wanted it to go away. "_What if I ask her anyway? What if she says no and it ruins our chances to at least be friends? Could I survive the rejection?_"

"Van?" asked Hitomi, gazing at him with her large shining eyes.

"Yeah… right Hitomi, I'm glad too…" he couldn't bare to look at her anymore. His eyes wouldn't be able to hold his tears for much longer and he refused to let Hitomi see him cry. He turned his back to her and started walking into the rain.

"Wait Van! Where are you going?!" Hitomi questioned, scurrying behind him.

"I'll be heading back now…" he started to respond when a small, smooth hand gripped his arm, forcing him to turn to her. His tears were falling freely now but he knew Hitomi wouldn't see them in the storm.

"But why Van? Don't leave so soon, stay for a while, leave in the morning, or at least when the storm stops..." she tried to read his expression but the deluge and darkness made his face impossible to see.

"Please come back inside…" she pleaded "_I don't want you to go, not yet!_" 

Van looked down at her, the streetlight behind him allowing him to treasure his sweet loves features for one last time in his mind. He brought his hands to his neck and slowly took off the pendant he had cherished all this time close to his heart. 

"This is yours…" he said mournfully, placing the golden chain around Hitomi's head and letting the pendant settle on her own heart.

Hitomi's eyes had adjusted to the dark and she caught a glimpse of the jewel resting on her coat.

"Van… this… was for you…" she protested but the gloomy look in Vans eyes stopped her in her phrase and she looked down at her shoes, freeing tears she had been able to imprison till now.

The pendant shunned brightly and a pillar of pure blue light descended upon them. Hitomi clung to Vans shirt staring deeply into his eyes. She felt his body slowly lifting in the air but she refused to let go of him. Van stared back, his watery eyes were blazing in her own and she could see in his soul, his solitude, his grief, his hopes shattered by the one he loved so greatly.

Hitomi recognized the love he shared with her and swallowed hard the understanding of her mistake.

"_He does love me, he does. This isn't a good-bye. He's leaving forever!_" 

"Van! Don't go! Please!" she yelled to him as her grip loosened and his body was hoisted away. 

He looked down at her and closed his eyes, causing his tears to fall on her open face.

"NOOO!" shouted Hitomi as she watched him disappear in the sky, a glimmering trail washing over her head along with the rain.

Hitomi fell to her knees, desperately sobbing. Covering her face with her hands, she kicked herself mentally to have driven her first love away. She looked up to the sky and cried out his name, but it didn't bring him back. She closed her eyes and tried to calm her hysteria. She slowly lifted herself up and started to walk pathetically back to the shrine where she had left her jogging pants and shoes. The raining darkness around her suddenly became silent and the dark became black. The rain suddenly stopped and Hitomi lifted her head to see the sky. There was none. Her surroundings had disappeared in ink and she could not see an inch in front of her.

"_Not now…_" she thought as a vision of Van, fighting in Escaflowne appeared beside her. She turned to see the giant guardian combat a jet black Guymelef. The sounds of their swords clinging together made a hard sharp noise but Hitomi didn't seem to hear, as in a trance.

The Guymelef fighting Van had long silver-blue hair combed in a braid that could extend and be used as a whip. The melef used it to trip Escaflowne and the giant came crashing down next to Hitomi, causing her hair to fly from the gust the impact provoked. The swarthy Guymelef pointed its blade to Escaflowne's neck and ordered the King to surrender. Escaflowne's pilot hatched out of it, and glared at the victorious contestant with hatred and anger. The image vanished and a woman's voice called out to her.

"Why?" it asked.

"Who are you?" Hitomi asked back, looking around but seeing no one in the dusk.

"I begged of you not to…Why?" the voice gave as an answer.

"Begged me to not what?" demanded Hitomi, anguish finding her heart.

"My son needs you, you must fulfil your destinies together. You must not reject him…" the soft voice answered.

"Va…Varie?" exclaimed Hitomi, eyes wide as the winged shadow became visible to her. "What's going on?" Hitomi asked her, scrutinizing the image of Vans mother.

"Gaea's faith is yet to become, Hitomi. You are needed. Only the power of your wishes can deliver Gaea and my sons distress"

"Me? Why me?" Hitomi inquired, frowning "What's so special about me?!" 

"You are the keeper."

"The keeper?"

Hitomi did not get an answer as another vision came to her, erasing Varie from her sight. Thousands of Draconians were burning, their yells and rotting fumes making her sick to her stomach. High over the dying bodies, up in the air, Escaflowne was in its dragon form with Van on its back. Gazing down, an evil grin of satisfaction lurked on his lips as he saw the Atlanteans flaming below. 

Hitomi was abruptly thrown back in reality at the sound of a powerful thunderclap near by. She looked around puzzled, she was sitting in the middle of a puddle, outside the shrine. It was still raining and her pendant was radiating brightly in the night. She looked down at it and clutching it in her hands.

"Yes, take me to Gaea" she said aloud, closing her eyes. She soon was enveloped by light and she was swiftly taken away to the mystical land she missed considerably. Glitters came down as the rain stopped. The clouds rapidly dispersed in the sky, as if they had been waiting all along for this moment to end the soaked Earth's torment.

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

__

If you have any comments , or if you wish to join the official mailing list,

please write to : celenashezar@hotmail.com

AIM : Celenasan

MSN : celena


	5. Beginning

Another Vision of Escaflowne 

Another Vision of Escaflowne

Disclaimer: _Usual disclaimers apply regarding Tenkuu no Escaflowne. The following is an Original Escaflowne fanfiction / fanart. The story, new characters and events are our own creation. Any resemblance to any other fanwork is purely coincidental. _

Author : Celena

Editor: Bellsandy

Illustrator: Bellsandy

****

~~ Delight in the Experience : http://bellsandi.tripod.com/AVE/index.html_ **~~**_

**__**

~~ Immerse yourself in the Experience : here **~~**

****

Episode V

Beginning

Dawn was cautiously lurking above the canyon which protected Fanelia and its people. The sky was a golden color with no clouds in sight. The orange orb was rising slowly, its rays tentatively reaching over the mountain and onto the city. The kingdom was waking, and soon children came out of their homes, most of them in order to play under the mellow sun, others heading out fishing at the lake up on the hill. Mothers were running after them, one giving a lunch bag her son had forgotten, the other, telling her twins to be careful. Men were gathering in the market place, getting the stores organized for all the King's guests arriving later that day to join in the festivities. Well-rested guards were relieving the night shift at the great gates of the city and getting prepared to greet the many representatives from the neighboring countries.

Merle was lazily stretching under the sheets of her oversized bed, exhibiting sharp claws under the furry paws she used as hands. She turned to her side and spread her tail behind her. She usually got up much earlier, before the sun even, but she hadn't slept much the night before and as memories of it came to her mind, she jumped out of bed and headed for Van's room. Her room wasn't in the same corridor as Van's but she only had to turn a corner to get there.

She smiled to the guards that were posted every 15 meters or so, standing proudly, their backs against the stone walls of the corridors. She arrived at the huge double doors to Van's apartments. She looked at it sadly, putting her paw to it, and knocked lightly. She got no response. She knocked again, still no response.

"_Could it be he's already up?_" she asked herself, knowing he mustn't have had much sleep either. Then she shrugged and headed for her chambers to change and join him in the kitchens for breakfast. 

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

Van laid motionless in his large bed. His eyes were puffy and red. He was in yesterday's cloths, his hair was messy, he looked like a wreck. And he was. He felt completely demolished. He couldn't remember the last time he had cried, but the happenings of the night before created some chain reaction in his mind and it was as if all his loneliness, pain, and suffering burst out at the same time. 

Never, in his entire existence, had he felt this way. He had lost many important persons in his life, but never had they discarded him the way she had. He had deliberately ignored the knock on his door, wishing he could dig a hole in the ground and fall in it, never resurfacing on the land. But he knew all to well he could not. Today was his anniversary and Fanelia's great celebration as well. Hundreds of guests were probably already arriving to greet and compliment him about Fanelia's rebuilding. He could care less about it now.

"_Some birthday…_" he thought.

He would have shed a tear, if he had had any left. Spiritlessly, he got out of bed and headed for his bath in the next room. Lyla had prepared it earlier; she was used to getting it ready very early in the morning, since the King _always_ got up early. Today, the water was cool in the tub. He hadn't slept at all during the night and morning but still had stayed in bed for a longer period. Van welcomed the chill, it was helping him to wake from what he wished was a horrible nightmare. 

Recollection of the past evening tore his heart and he tried to think of something else, but failed.

"_Hitomi… what happened?_" he rested in the tremendous basin, remembering how she had said it.

__

"I don't have much time to myself lately and I was thinking perhaps you'd like some free time of your own… Don't you think it would be a good idea to see each other a little less now that we know everything is all right? "

Van felt a difficulty to swallow. It could not have been real! She looked so sad when he left, repeating she wanted him to stay longer! 

"_What for??_" Van shrugged.

He couldn't understand her feelings anymore. He had been so sure of what he thought they shared. That now, comprehending he had been wrong, nothing made sense anymore. Quickly, he reached for his towel and got out of the basin. He rapidly dried himself off and regretfully dressed into more formal cloths than usual, necessary under the circumstances. He put on his long royal blue pants and shining gray boots. He then put on his white shirt and long vest, the same color of his pants over the shirt. He called for Lyla to help him tie his cape with the emblem of Fanelia over his shoulders. The buttons were on his back and he could not reach them. Waiting for her, he stared at the rising sun that was embracing his land with its warmth.

"_Hitomi…"_

"You called for me Lord?" a modest and delicate voice asked him from behind.

Van turned and managed to greet his maid with a smile. He examined her quickly, her lengthy silver-blue hair curled down on each side of her tanned face and reaching her belt, her eyes a deep rich violet. She was wearing the same uniform as the other maids, a short sleeved beige V shirt and a chestnut skirt that extended to her ankles, showing the little boots women wore in Fanelia.

"Please Lyla, give me a hand with this absurd costume, I'm having trouble with the buttons on the back of the robe…"

He turned again, showing her the series of attachments that was out of reach for him. Lyla smiled and came closer, buttoning every button, fastening every lace. 

"You look melancholic your Highness, is everything all right?" she asked carefully. 

Her question surprised Van, was he so transparent? Gazing out the window he answered:

"Don't worry yourself for me dear Lyla…"

Lyla nodded and as she finished, headed for the doors.

"Uncertainties of the heart are never easy…" she added, not turning back and disappearing into the hall.

Van turned to her direction and blinked. 

"_Did I hear right??_"

He stayed puzzled for a moment, trying to remember if he had said anything about the previous night to anybody. No one knew, not even sweet Merle, who had stayed up all night to comfort him! He rushed to his doors and looked in the corridor but Lyla had left.

"_I definitely must find out what she meant by that comment…_" he thought, leaving his rooms in the direction of the kitchens where, he assumed, Merle was waiting for him.

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

Entering the kitchens, the cooks and servants bowed, used to having him around in the morning to eat breakfast with Merle. The cat-girl wasn't allowed at the dining table with Van and the other nobles, so she ate in the kitchens with the castle personnel. Van offered once to come and have breakfast with her every day in compensation of their separation for the other meals. Merle had been flattered with his offer and had jumped in his arms thanking him. 

"Lord Van!" she greeted him with an unsure smile and a big hug.

"How are you this morning?" she asked sheepishly, not sure if she should mention the earlier night.

"Better, I guess…" Van answered, a tint of resignation in his voice.

"_Oh Lord Van…_" Merle whispered, watching him take place beside her and play with his fork and food the servants had just served him. 

"Guess I'm not very hungry." he said softly, never tearing his gaze from his plate but feeling her eyes on him.

"It's okay Lord Van, you'll have a bigger lunch!" Merle replied smiling, trying to get his mind off his worries.

"Happy Birthday, by the way…" she added, putting a paw on his shoulder.

Van turned to her with watery eyes and smiled his thanks, his throat just wouldn't allow words without a sob so he preferred staying quiet. He then shook his head and decided to seal away his ache for the day or else he wouldn't get through it.

Somehow, his stubbornness succeeded in overcoming his dejection.

"Thank you Merle." he finally managed to say after a while.

"Do you know if Asturia has arrived yet? I'm eager to see Allen again after such a long time… I believe Princess Millerna wanted to come as well… We'll see if her duties permitted her to come along…"

Merle smiled at his comment. Since the death of King Aston, Millerna had been obligated to the throne with her husband Dryden as new King. Although he had left her after the Great War to _become worthy of her_, his duties as heir to the throne commanded him to return early to Palace, capital of Asturia. Merle didn't know what the _arrangements_ where between the King and Queen, but suspected they had had the opportunity to get to know each other better. A lot better…

"I think they should arrive early this morning Lord Van, but I heard the Duke of Freid has already arrived!"

Van's eyes lit up. "Really? Good, I'll go salute him right away…Want to come?"

"Of course Lord Van! I'm staying the entire day by your side!" Merle answered cheerfully. 

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

Van and Merle walked slowly through the courtyard, savoring the plenitude of the morning. The sun was getting rapidly higher and its warmth enveloped the people below it. The King nodded to the many people who were walking up and down the courtyard. All of them nobles from faraway lands with their maids and servants following them closely, as if they were afraid to lose their masters in the masse. Van and Merle shared a knowing glance. They both hated having servants around all the time and despised the formalities that nobility brought. Since the Great War, they both preferred to stay simple. That was one of the two things that Van believed to be something good that came out of the conflict, experiencing a simple life and learning to respect others, the other being meeting Hitomi…

Van headed for the market place. He knew everyone gathered there. He hoped to find Duke Chid there and greet him. He thought of his young friend on the way. Sunny hair and sea-blue eyes. Innocent smile with so much responsibilities, at such a young age. Chid reminded him of himself, and they would always share something special, for both of them had lost their parents at a very, very young age…

__

Soundtrack : Original soundtrack two

Song : Ask the owl

Arrived at the market, Van opened his eyes wide in disbelief. The crowd was unbelievable! People everywhere, as far as the eye could see. And so early in the day! Van feared what the afternoon would be like but knew his council and generals had planned those details meticulously and did not worry further. Merle was also surprised to see all the people and Van smiled at the face she made. 

"Close your mouth Merle!" he said grinning.

"This is unbelievable Lord Van! Look at all the people!" Merle exclaimed. 

They both started to walk in the heavy crowd and bumped into each other several times in an effort to squeeze pass the people and get further into the market place. Van let Merle go before him, he was afraid to loose his little friend if he let her stay behind. He put one hand on her shoulder to let her know he was still following her.

Merle was enthusiastic about the whole thing. All the people! She was glad and proud Fanelia attracted so many other countries. She felt Van's hand slip away from her shoulder and stopped walking. She turned and saw him smiling at her. Van had felt a small, but firm hand on his elbow and knew who it was. He smiled to Merle who had turned to him and turned around himself to look down to the Duke of Fried himself.

The lad was surrounded by his guards and he was grinning up to the King. Ceremonially, the young Duke bent on one knee, looking down and his escort followed his lead. 

"Greetings Fanelia, I am very happy to meet with you again. Your country is resplendent and it's people kind-hearted. I compliment you on your achievements." The lad lifted his gaze to meet Van's.

"Please rise your Highness." Van answered, extending his hand to help Chid up "You know there is no need for these sort of formalities." he added, putting his hand on the child's shoulder.

Chid smiled brightly at Van and took his hand in his. He then looked behind the Fanelian King and spotted the familiar figure, waiting patiently to be noticed.

"Lady Merle!" Chid exclaimed, watching the faint blush on the kitten's yellow cheeks. Merle was not used to being called a _Lady_ and the sound of it made her all prickling inside.

"Your Majesty." she welcomed him, bowing and smiling back at him. 

They started walking, closely followed by Chid's bodyguards.

"I'm sure these precautions are unnecessary, my friend." Van said, eyeing the guards behind them.

"I agree." said the youth. "But the monks insisted that I was to be well accompanied, I could not refuse them."

"I understand, but I am proud to say that with the rebuilding, the great gates of the city have been fortified and the men newly recruited to be the Royal army respect their oaths with pride and honor." the King added, satisfaction bathing his voice.

"I acknowledged that, and I desire to accomplish as much with the rebuilding of my castle in Freid."

Van looked down to his fellow ruler frowning.

"You mean you're not done with it yet?" he asked.

Chid smiled and answered:

"You're forgetting King Van that my people are not workers, Freid is a country of conviction lead by prayer and meditation. My people did not have the knowledge nor the competence to reconstruct the hundred-year-old castle. But it's getting along nicely now and you can not tell it has been burn to the ground…" Chid trailed off, trying to think of something that wouldn't remind him of his recent losses; his castle, his dear Voris, his cherished father and mother…

"_I must not cry, I promised Father._" he thought, smiling as widely as he could.

Van noticed and put his gloved hand on the lad's shoulder, they had lived the same tragedies and he understood too well the young one's pain.

"You honor your country, Chid Zar Fried, Duke of Freid. And when you return to your home, you will me accompanied by fifty Fanelian workers to help you finish your castle."

This brought a genuine smile to Chid's face and they continued on with their walk.

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

The day was radiant, gaiety could be felt trough out the city. The people of Fanelia were gathered and rejoicing. The crowd saluted their King as he strolled among them accompanied by his everlasting companion Merle and the young Dutchy of Fried.

It was early in the day but some were already drinking wine and liquor, dancing and playing games. The King and his guest halted by the arena to see some of the guymelef fights that were held all day. Famous melefs from around Gaea had been invited to come and show their agility, speed, and strength in sport combat. 

As Van and his group took seats in the royal lodge, the attendants working there immediately offered them drinks and food. The arena was as large as the one in Asturia, where the ruler of the country had put Van to the test with Escaflowne. Nice tawny sand had been imported from Fried to cover the ground, high walls encircled the fighting area and protected the sitting spaces for the spectators which had been set up above the walls. 

Taking a sip from his aromatized juice, Chid admired a Fanelian and Cesarian guymelef contest for the next title. Chid wondered if the King was to fight with Escaflowne and worded his question.

"No Chid." answered Van sullenly. "I vowed to never reawaken Escaflowne when Hitomi left. I hope Gaea will forever stay in peace and that Escaflowne will slumber for eternity…"

"I understand." said Chid looking back at the fight.

The Fanelian melef had given a terrible blow with his sword down upon the other melef and a roar came from all around them as the crowd cheered the victor when the pilot from Cesario leaped out of his guymelef in a gesture of defeat. 

"The winner of this round, people!" said a man using a large cone to amplify his voice in order to be heard by all. He was standing next to the tall doors from which the Guymelefs entered and exited the ring. "One of the three great swordsmen of Gaea; High General Gushen!"

The crowd vaulted from their seats to applause the remaining guymelef in the ring. The General had already won the three battles that had occurred that day.

"And now," the amplified voice added. "The last competition before we give the competitors a break. A highly skilled assailant, trained by the legendary and never forgotten Balgus. Knight of Caeli, meet Allen Schezar and his melef Scherazade!"

"Van! It's Allen! It's Allen!" Merle squeaked, jumping from her seat.

"Allen?" repeated Chid as he gazed at the magnificent Guymelef enter the arena, who was not paying attention to the crowd and only concentrating on his opponent.

"Did you know he was competing Van?" Chid asked, never taking his eyes from Scherazade.

"No, I didn't." Van answered plainly, gazing himself at the great melef. 

The two warriors saluted and took fighting position. The crowd suddenly became very quit, comprehending that this fight was the ultimate one. The third legendary swordsman of Gaea, confronting a Caeli Knight, trained by the second legendary swordsman of Gaea. This was not a combat to miss. You could feel the energy coming from the two melefs as they scrutinized each other. Each one waiting for the other to charge. 

General Gushen smiled, watching Scherazade through his melef's visor, proud to see that his great friend's pupil had learnt his lessons well. Never giving the first blow was a trusted tactic.

"I salute you Schezar." he bellowed "NOW SHOW ME WHAT YOU'VE GOT!" he cried out, dashing towards Scherazade aggressively, his sword pointing directly at the other melef's head. 

Scherazade leaped into the air and dodge effortlessly the coming blow. It landed in front of the Royal lodge, its head at the right height, level with the cabin Van and his guest were in. The melef had landed with a huge thundering noise and sand lifted from the ground forcing Van and the others to close and protect their eyes.

__

Soundtrack : Original soundtrack two

Song : Machine Soldier

Scherazade turned towards its opponent and dodged another fierce strike. Gushen's giant sword hammered into the wall under the lodge, causing a small vibration throughout the large room. Merle let out a small shriek but quickly brought her paws over her trembling lips. Van and Chid kept their eyes on the fight, the King not at all bothered by the impact, and the Dutchy impressed by it. 

Gushen turned his melef and spotted Scherazade who was standing in the middle of the large ring, waiting for the Fanelian melef to come closer.

"You impress me Schezar." Gushen cried out. "Balgus trained you well!" 

The other melef stayed silent and waited for the other to attack. Which was what happened. Gushen raced to meet the other melef, his sword high in the air. The crowd applauded and shouted their support to both sides. Scherazade drew its sword and brought it in front of its chest, protecting itself from Gushen's sword. 

The two heroic melefs played a game of strength, almost nose to nose, only their swords crossed together separating the two of them. Gushen pushed Scherazade down with his other arm and the melef crashed on the ground, creating a new gush of wind and sandstorm. Scherazade's blade flew into the air and landed many meters away. With both hands, Scherazade held Gushen's sword, keeping him from descending it to its throat.

"It's over son, call the competition ended." Gushen told the silent melef under him. 

But to his surprise, Scherazade slapped away his sword with great energy and brought one leg up, putting it on his melefs chest and pushing as hard as it could, sending his Fanelian melef high in the air. With great speed, Scherazade jumped to its feet and dashed towards its sword. Bent down in order to seize it and whirled around to protect itself from an incoming strike from Gushen, who was already right behind it. 

"Incredible!" exclaimed Chid, his indigo eyes dancing with excitement. 

Van looked down to his little friend with a smile, this was certainly an incredible match indeed.

Scherazade pushed away Gushen's sword with it's own and got back up to its feet, sending another hard blow towards Gushen, who blocked it with ease. The two went on, sending sparks as the metal of their swords collided with force and precision. The speed of the melefs sent Scherazade's cape flying in the air and provoked a cloud of dust at their feet. 

Merle watched with amazement the two fighters. She still had her paws to her lips but could not tear her eyes from the arena. The two imposing guymelefs where confronting each other with such skills it reminded her of the late battle against Zaibach and suddenly thought that fighting for sport might not be such a great idea after what Gaea had been through. Had they not learned anything from the war? Her thoughts were averted by a tiny figure at the far end of the arena. A man was running towards the battling melefs. 

"There's someone on the battle field!" she cried out, pointing at the man at the other end, coming closer and closer to the battle.

"He's going to get killed if they don't notice him!" she added, panic in her voice.

Van and Chid looked in the direction Merle was pointing and Van gasped. The man running was wearing a blue suit and had long blond hair flying behind him.

"Allen!" the King shouted.

"Allen?" Chid hesitated.

"Who is piloting Scherazade?" he added, watching the man running towards the battle. He was waving and shouting to the melefs something inaudible to their ears, the noise of the crowd and sound of the blades completely covering his voice. When he finally got Scherazade's attention, the melef lowered its sword and looked down to its owner. Unfortunately, Gushen had not noticed the Knight at their feet and did not halt his swift and lethal blow to Scherazade's chest, which brought an icy silence upon the crowd, who had cheered them on enthusiastically. 

"NOOOO!" cried the knight Caeli, his cry perfectly perceivable now, as Scherazade brought its hands to the blade that had pierced through its chest before crashing down on its back, its alloy sounding like some old wreckage.

"CELENA!" Allen shouted, jumping on the inert melef.

"Celena??" Van and Merle repeated together, astonishment in their voices. Chid watched Van disappear from the room, followed closely by Merle. A few seconds later, they were both in the ring, running towards Allen who was desperately trying to open the hatch to the pilot's commanding post. Gushen brought his melef on one knee and leaped out of it, jumping next to Allen, helping him to open the hatch.

"It won't budge!" Allen roared, spotting Van approaching them from the corner of his eye.

A deadly silence hung over the crowd. Most did not understand what was going on, but simply seeing the deadly blade deep into the famous Scherazade's chest was enough to keep them quiet. They saw their King arriving at the scene and jumping onto the melef, leaving Merle on the ground next to it, her hands clasped together over her heart.

"We can't open it!" Allen told him, sheer panic in his voice.

"It's okay Allen, let me help, the three of us will do it." Van told him for reassurance. 

They seized each side of the hatch and pulled as hard as they could.

"_Come on! Open!_" thought the trio and unexpectedly, vapor came out from each side of the hatch and Scherazade's mask flew open, revealing a seriously wounded and unconscious Celena inside.

"Celena!" shouted Allen, gently taking her in his muscular arms. "Oh Gods please! Not this… NO!" he shouted, lifting his teary eyes to the sky.

"We have a chance to save her Allen." said Van softly, putting his hand on the older man's shoulder. 

He forced him to turn and let the medical team, which had just arrived on the spot, to take her from his arms. Allen's blood-stained shirt was glued to his chest and he could no longer prevent a tear from falling.

"Please Van… Please save her." he wept, clutching his friend's cape.

Van was touched and surprised with Allen's devotion and manifestation of concern for his younger sister, but tried hard not to soften in front of his friend and people.

"It will be okay Allen, I'll have my personal healer attend to her. He is the best in Fanelia. You have not to worry. All that can be done will be done. You have my word!" 

With that, all watched the injured pilot being carried away by the medics. The king rose to his feet and addressed his people.

"Do not concern yourselves my people. This incident must not diminish our joy and celebration. The lady Celena will be treated by the finest in Fanelia and she will be alright." He glanced down to Allen, who was looking gloomily at the blade penetrating his melef's chest, and lied: "Her injuries were minor, do not worry…and let the festivities continue!" 

That was all that was needed to be heard and the crowd slowly started to cheer, preferring the happy state they were in before the deadly ambience that had settled. Van helped Allen up and gave him a small, reassuring smile. General Gushen knew better than to ask forgiveness just yet and let the two friends slide down the melef and head for the exit of the arena before getting in his melef and, with the help of other melefs, bringing Scherazade up on its feet and out of the ring.

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

Allen was pacing in the hallway in front of Celena's room. She had been on the other side of the closed doors for over two hours and fear was overwhelming him. He tried to sit on the large wooden bench resting against the stone wall but sprang back up after a few seconds every time. He watched the moons through one of the many large windows of the corridor. They were floating high in the sky, next to the sun. Allen looked down on the busy city and sighed.

"_It's my fault… why did I show her how to fight?_" 

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard footsteps approaching behind him. He turned and smiled to his younger friend who was smiling back, with concern and sadness in his eyes, and curiosity.

"You're still waiting for some news?" Van asked, noticing the doors to Celena's room were still shut.

"Yes. Thank you, Van, for being there and helping and being so quick in taking care of her…" Allen trailed off, feeling a weight on his chest.

"What…What was she doing in Scherazade?" Van asked, slowly.

Allen sighed and closed his eyes. "I was stupid Van, really stupid!" Allen answered, not opening his eyes. "When she changed back from being Dilandau, she was frail and gentle and confused. She had recollection of her life as Dilandau and hated herself for what she had done."

"But none of it was her fault!" 

"I know, and it took a while before getting it in her head. When she finally admitted that feeling sorry for herself wasn't going to change a thing, she decided to look ahead instead of living in the past. She started doing things to occupy her time. Sword and melef training was one of her many activities. She already knew how to fight, remembering Dilandau's skills, but she asked me to pursue her training, which I did… Van, What have I done? She wanted so badly to compete today and I wouldn't hear of it. She tricked me into leaving the hangar for a while and she used the time to get into Scherazade and fight in my place!"

"Allen, it's not your fault, she already knew how to pilot a melef before you showed her…"

"But I encouraged her Van! I thought it was a good idea because it was helping her to forget. Celena is the gentlest person I have ever met and even if she practices with me, she must never confront another. She must not be put in a dangerous position again, I swear I won't let it happen again!" Allen sat on the bench, put his elbows on his knees and brought his face down in his hands. 

Van reached for his shoulder but the doors to Celena's room slowly opened and Allen sprung up from the bench. He approached the small man coming out of the room.

"How is she?" he asked, his voice filled with anticipation.

The healer standing in front of him scratched his bald head and pulled on his long white beard. "She was badly cut but thankfully, we were able to mend her wound quite nicely… she should wake up within a few hours."

"She'll be okay?" Van uttered.

"Oh yes, it is only a matter of time before she's up and fighting again!" said the healer smiling, not noticing the troubled look on Allen's face.

"Thank you Marlin, you may leave." Van added and smiled at the healer for his good work. The short man bowed and passed by his King, heading for the other end of the corridor.

"I'll go in and see her." Allen stated, leaving the young King alone in the hallway.

Van sat on the bench and heard Allen murmur words to Celena. He could not understand what he was saying to her but could imagine it had something to do with apologies and vows of protection. He let his head rest on the wall and looked out the window in front of him. The moons were resplendent next to the sun and Van started to think of Hitomi. His heartache resurfaced and he felt a sting in his eyes. 

__

"NO! I was doing okay, half of the day has past. Come on, Fanel, get a grip and get through it!" 

He got up to his feet and left Allen to his sister. He could talk with his old friend later. When he reached the end of the hall, he heard familiar voices coming in his direction. He smiled. He recognized the new Queen of Asturia's voice right away. Turning the corner of the hallway, he met up with Millerna and Dryden, new rulers of Asturia.

"Van!" Millerna exclaimed, taking him in her arms, and giving him a slight kiss on each cheek. 

Dryden smiled at the blush rising on the young King's face from his wife's demonstration of affection and greeted him with a small tap on his back.

"Hello there, fellow King, We are pleased to be here for the celebrations. Congratulations with the rebuilding. Your work is amazing!"

"Yes." added Millerna. "You must be very proud. And by the way, a happy anniversary to you!"

"Thank you, my friends." Van replied, uncomfortable with the praises.

Millerna's looked sadden as she remembered why they were wandering around the large corridors of the castle. "We heard Celena was injured during a melef competition..."

"She's alright. She was badly injured, but she's okay, Allen is with her now."

Both royals sighed with relief. 

"That naughty little girl always gets in trouble!" groaned Millerna bringing long fingers through her long pale blond hair.

"Little girl?" Dryden mocked, cocking his eyebrow. "She's actually seven months older than you my dear wife, and you, are no little girl…"

Van and Millerna both blushed at the insinuation, which provoked a rich laughter from the Asturian King.

"Well Van, what did you think of our little Celena's fighting skills?" he added, trying to stop laughing, noticing the temperature was still rising for both his interlocutors. 

"I was quite impressed. It never showed that Allen wasn't the one piloting the melef…" answered Van quickly, happy at the change of topic.

"What do you expect?" said Millerna fondly. "She's been trained by the best!"

Dryden lifted both his brows and smiled. "Not to mention she has Dilandau's memory and capabilities. As I recall, he wasn't a bad warrior himself was he, Van?"

Van quivered at the thought. He understood Celena was _cured_ now and that there was no possibility that Dilandau could resurface and appear from nowhere to butcher him. In fact, Dilandau and the soft Celena were the two extremes. Dilandau had represented her darker side, the one everybody had. Now Celena had recovered her soft, delicate, tender side and the two put together completed what Celena was today: A healthy and balanced woman. Dilandau could never resurface, because he was always a little there…

"Van?" repeated Dryden.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. He was indeed a remarkable massacre rising straight from hell!"

The two Asturian sovereigns gawked at him and smiled.

"He did leave quite an impression on you…" remarked softly Millerna. "Don't worry. Once you get to know Celena, you'll see how exquisite she is! I wouldn't be surprised if you asked her to marry you. She's so much like Hitomi!" 

The words seem to smack Van in the face and he turned his head to set his gaze on the twin moons. Dryden smirked at his wife and she realized what she had said.

"Oh Gods Van, I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking! Please accept my apologies. I am just concerned about you and only wish your happiness, I nev…" 

"Don't!" Van replied, surprising himself with the harshness in his voice. "Don't." he said more softly when he realized her sad appearance. "Please, don't concern yourselves, there is no reason to…"

"Van, Millerna and I will be retreating to our apartments now…" Dryden slowly said, putting an arm around Millerna's tiny waist and turned in the direction of their rooms.

Millerna gave a brief look behind her before turning the corner and saw Van still standing there, his face turned to the large window, watching the moons. She silently cursed.

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

The day went on enthusiastically for the Fanelian population. The melef competitions pursued, and archery competitions, different games, races and dances kept Fanelia and its many visitors entertained for the entire afternoon. As the sun was slowly setting, fires were lighted in the spaces reserved especially for the occasion. Some men were dancing and singing around the fires, already slightly drunk from having started drinking so early that day. This amazed the children who were having their supper outdoors and amused the women who hadn't seen their men so joyful in a long time.

As it was getting darker, candles were lit throughout the castle, giving it the warmth and cozy manner it didn't have during the day. Van inhaled heavily as he looked around the long table of the largest, most luxurious dining room of the castle. Four huge chandeliers were hanging from every corner and were illuminating the area with fifty candles each. Silverware and golden plates shined glamorously, never having been used before. Van looked down and was surprised when he saw his reflection in the dark, marble floor.

Every high figure of Gaea was there. The leaders of Basram, Ezgardia, Deadalus, Cesario, Asturia and Fried. He had better not screw this one up. He sighed heavily as he observed the Royalty sitting around his table, loathing himself with the high pitched sneers of the ladies and the haughty, superior expression of the men. He wouldn't normally be so susceptible to this kind of elitist behavior but he was having a terrible day and hadn't slept the night before, bringing his nerves to a certain edge.

They were all delighted with their food and wine, commenting on how wonderfully Fanelia had risen from the ashes, felicitating the Fanelian King with several toasts in his honor. Van was annoyed that they insisted he had done it all on his own and kept repeating the importance of the people's contribution to the matter. They all smiled and grinned, and finally, after a while, acknowledged what he was saying.

Millerna and Dryden were sitting on his left and he had Allen to his right. Next to him, was his most trusted advisor and good friend Lyle, followed by three other advisors, much more aged than Lyle, who was probably only a few years older than Allen was. Van grinned. They had all been surprised at his choice of Lyle as advisor, but something in Lyle radiated that he was wise and clever for his age and Van trusted him more than anyone.

Chid was sitting at the far end of the table, next to the young Empress of Ezgardia. He seemed to be enjoying himself which lightened Van's mood. Van seemed to notice that Allen's attention was directed to the Duke, but did not think of it further. The many discussions went on in till a thin, tall man addressed the King directly, then all went silent to hear the King.

"Does his Majesty of Fanelia have ever heard of the Four Tomes of Augury?"

Van observed the lean personage sitting in front of Chid, at the other end of the table. He had short, straight cut white hair that flew wildly over his head. His pale, cream face contrasted with his small, dusk cerulean eyes. The man had long, masculine features and was dressed in a dark purple coat and black pants. He had been introduced to him earlier as Shitarr, ambassador of Basram. He was replacing the King who had come down with some illness the week before and couldn't leave his castle.

Van immediately suspected a troublemaker but smiled to him widely, pretending to be much interested by the so-called Tomes of Augury.

"I have never heard of these…tomes. Fables for children's bedtime, perhaps? Please, do tell me more." Van replied sarcastically.

The group around the table chuckled and turned their attention to the other end of the table, waiting for the answer. Dryden and Millerna, who were talking softly to each other, noticed the calm and stopped speaking to see what was going on. Shitarr displayed an amused expression that haunted Van.

__

Soundtrack : Original soundtrack two

Song : Shadow of doubt

"Quite a wild guess your Highness, but forgive me for I must correct you…"

"How so?" Van asked, noticing the odd look Lyle was sending Shitarr.

"The Tomes of Augury are legendary in their writings and I am surprised an individual of your status and _race_ has not even heard of them…"

Van perceived Allen gasp lightly at the mention of his _race_, but fortunately no one else had picked up on that detail which had to be kept a secret.

Wearied with the man, Van hurried him to get to the point. "Well, my good man, can't you see we are all eager to know?" Van stated, noticing everyone had become quiet.

"The Tomes describe how the Atlanteans ruled a planet called Earth and how they were dreadfully extinguished. The Tomes also elucidate how their resurrection on Gaea will bring the fate of the planet to its zenith! Don't you find that interesting? According to the Tomes, Draconians would soon be walking among us, rather ruling us I should say…" 

The leaders around the table shifted uncomfortably, outraged that the topic was brought up here and now. Van boiled inside. Who was this man? He obviously knew of his origins, but what did he want? 

"In order for the prophecy to take place, the four Tomes and certain, shall I say, elements must be put together, at the right time, at the right place. Once this is done, the Atlanteans may return and have control over Gaea and assure it's climax."

"_Been there, done that…where was this fool during the Great War??_" Van thought to himself. 

He was not surprised to hear Dryden speak, knowing the older King always had his nose in a book and had great knowledge.

"Of Course," Dryden began, "We have not to worry, for the Legendary Tomes, if they exist, are said to have been sealed away to the four corners of Gaea, making sure this fate never occurs…"

Shitarr smiled menacingly. "Ah… someone who knows what I'm talking about. Of course you understand, Lord Dryden, that it is only a matter of time, considering Fate can never be altered…"

"I agree." Van interrupted. "Zaibach recently tried to alter fate and was rewarded by a disreputable failure, causing pain and uncountable deaths. The Power of Atlantis is not fated to reawaken, we are living today to prove it!"

There was a round of applause and cheer, everyone around the table agreeing with the King and bringing their wine glasses in the air for another toast. Shitarr followed, bowing lightly to the King, in some sort of twisted respect. The chatter continued and Van noticed Shitarr soon rising from his chair, and heading out of the grand dining room doors. Lyle left the room after him. He could count on Lyle to keep an eye on the man and he was grateful. He decided not to think about the incident and tried to mingle with his company, though not very successfully to his dismay.

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

Van felt like the dinner was dragging along when dessert came and he was grateful that he would soon see the end of it. He missed Merle. He had been hoping to be able to have a talk with Allen during the meal but the light chit-chat and ambience was not proper for a gathering between friends and Van decided to wait until the ball later on. 

When people started exiting the room, he sighed thankfully. He made sure to greet all of his guests, re-inviting them to the ball later on. Once the room was empty, and there was only Allen left, he sighed heavily, making a fed up grimace that brought a smile to Allen's lips.

"I'm getting the idea you like the 'taking care of your people' stuff better than politics…"

"This dinner had nothing to do with politics, it was deadly exhausting!"

Allen laughed hard. "You're going to meet up with some problems my young friend because believe me, dinners like this one will reappear in your life most often."

Van frowned and sat back down on his chair at the end of the table. "How is Celena?"

"She awoke just before the dinner, she seemed okay." Allen smiled thankfully.

"Good, I'm glad."

"Congratulations Van, I haven't had the chance to felicitate you properly yet. It is true that you AND your people did a fantastic job with the task of rebuilding Fanelia."

Van grinned and thanked him.

"Oh, and happy anniversary! I thought your birthday was earlier in spring, not in the beginning of summer…"

"It is, but in the middle of the construction, there wasn't time for celebration. The council decided that the festivities for the rebirth would be a pleasant occasion to celebrate my anniversary as well."

"I see… I a have a gift for you then…" Van blinked as Allen open a small leather pouch from his belt and took out a small rectangular wooden box. He held it towards Van, smiling.

"Allen, What is it?" Van asked, his hand almost trembling with surprise. He took the box from Allen's willing hand and brought it close so he could see it. The dark wood was neatly carved and the emblem of Fanelia was forged on the top. Van noticed the twin moons carved under the Fanelian crest. 

"Allen… You shouldn't have…" He gave a doubtful look to Allen who was encouraging him to open it. He slowly lifted the top of the box and peeked inside. He gasped at what he saw, his eyes gawking and watering.

Inside the small box, lay tarot cards. Hitomi's tarot cards. 

"Where…" Van started but the emotion prevented any other word to be released from his throat.

"Millerna had them." Allen simply answered, observing his young friend.

"Thank you," Van managed.

"It's nothing Van. Of all the people on Gaea, I believe she would want you to be the one safekeeping them."

Van frowned. He wasn't so sure if that was really what Hitomi would want, considering the previous night, but kept his thoughts to himself, not wanting to hurt Allen's feelings. He knew Allen had been fond of Hitomi too and could have kept the cards to himself if he had wanted to.

Van gave him a quick smile and offered him another drink. Allen complied and they talked about the rebuilding of Fanelia and Celena's recuperation from the evil Zaibach sorcerers' meddling. Soon, a small head appeared through the doorway and Merle entered the dining room when she realized it was safe to enter; Van and Allen were alone. She headed towards them on all fours and jumped to Van's side, sitting at his feet. 

The King reached down to put his gloved hand in her hair and caressed her enough to get her purring. Allen smiled at this and greeted Merle.

"How have you been little one?"

"Hello, Allen. Fine. How's your sister?"

"I'm happy to say she's recuperating nicely. She woke up before dinner… That reminds me, I should go up and see her." Allen got to his feet, offering his chair to Merle so she could stay near Van. He gave them a quick wave of the hand and headed for the door. "I'll see you later at the ball."

Van stretched and yawned in his chair. Fatigue was slowly getting the better of him and he was glad. Perhaps he would be able to sleep tonight and not think of his torments. He had put the box away in his own sack, attached to his belt, and reached for it to show Merle when his gaze landed on the huge argent clock on the wall.

"Oh, Gods Merle! I'm more than late for the ball!" He leapt to his feet and ordered her to go change and meet with him in the Ballroom as soon as possible.

"I… I'm going? I mean… it's okay if I go?" she asked cheerfully.

"Of course! There's no dining table there for your hair balls to fall on so no one will be able to complain!"

Merle giggled.

"Besides…" he added, "I'm not sure if I could survive it without you."

Merle's eyes shimmered with delight at his words and she sprang upwards to lick his cheek.

"Now go!" Van commanded and she ran from the room chirping.

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

The ballroom was vast. Large colossal columns here and there supported the domed roof high above them. The dun ceramic floor gave a certain comfort to the room. The light colored wooden walls exhibited magnificent portraits of the past rulers of Fanelia, as well as paintings of different well-known landscapes of the country. Again, several large chandeliers illuminated the spacious room. Two tall double doors gave entrance to the room and three double doors led to the balcony with a view over the Royal gardens. 

When Merle entered the room she was thankful no one made a face at her. She strolled around lightly, loving the feeling of her long orange dress gently tickling her ankles. She looked around for Van but didn't see him. She passed right in front of Allen, who was standing against one of the large columns. 

"Wow Merle! You look beautiful tonight!" he murmured softly in her ears as she passed.

Merle stopped dead in her tracks and turned, not having recognized his voice.

"Oh Allen! You scared me!" she scolded.

"Scared you?! I complimented you! How does that sound scary?" Allen inquired.

"I didn't know it was you… that's all…"

Allen grinned. 

"Have you seen Lord Van?" she asked him, glancing around.

"Actually yes, I believe he was heading towards the balcony, only a few minutes ago."

"Thanks!" she smiled and hurried away.

Allen smiled and watched her go. His gaze landed upon a beautiful, glorious young woman standing in one of the doorways leading to the castle. She had long, curly silvery blue hair. Despite the distance, her V shirt allowed him to admire the curves of her breasts, but just enough to set a man's imagination soaring. She brought her gentle hand to her hair and brushed away a silver lock from her face. She was wearing the Fanelian maid outfit and seemed to be intrigued by the ball. She moved to the wall, leaning against it and gazing at the couples, smiling a simple smile, but to Allen it seemed ravishing. He pondered the thought of going to her and hesitated when the man from the dining room, Shitarr, approached her and started talking to her. Allen watched them, curious.

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

Merle walked towards the doors to the balcony swiftly. She was holding a flat, hand long, well wrapped box. She had waited all day to give him his present, unsure if it was a good idea anymore. Arrived on the balcony, she looked around quickly and decided on a direction. Heading left, she sighed at the sight of a couple kissing. She brought her eyes to the twin moons, still wondering what had happened to her Van up there.

The night breeze was mild, the temperature getting warmer with every day. Millions of stars were shimmering in the somber sky. She found Van gazing at the gardens, his elbows leaning on the stone railing. She came up quietly behind him and put her hand on his shoulder. Van turned and smiled to her.

"Lord Van…" she whispered, not able to tear her gaze from his dispirited features. She lifted her hand holding his gift and put it in Van's hand. Van looked surprised and glared down. When he realized he was holding Merle's birthday gift, he smiled a sad smile. He didn't feel at all like opening presents but he didn't want to hurt her feelings. She gave him a hopeful grin.

"Thank you Merle."

"Don't say that yet! Open it first!"

"No. I mean thank you for last night. You have no idea what happened to me, or where I was, and you still came to me, in the middle of the night, comforting and soothing. Thank you." 

Merle smiled up to him, she didn't feel the need to tell him she would always be there for him, no matter what. She felt that he already knew he would be able to count on her, forever. She nodded towards the wrapped gift in his hand, urging him to open it.

Van smiled at her impatience and slowly unwrapped the precious gift. Once the paper taken away, Van was holding a rectangular wooden plate. He looked at Merle questioningly and she laughed. 

"Look on the other side silly!"

Van turned the plate and breathed in sharply, letting the nice gift-wrap fall from his other hand and slowly drop to the stoned floor. His hand started shaking and he brought his now newly empty one to help him hold his gift. He stared at the picture he was holding tightly. 

"Where…" he questioned, not able to say more, his throat burning with emotion. His mind was going wild at the familiar feeling, having felt a similar surprise with Allen's gift.

"At the market. One of the merchants sold it to me. He said that shadowgraphs of Hitomi are sold around the planet! She's famous! Having helped save Gaea and all…"

Van couldn't believe his eyes. In his unsteady hands was laying a picture of her. Her! It wasn't in color, for technology did not permit it yet, but she was there. A close up from her shoulders-up, smiling in the market place in Asturia, looking around. Standing between Merle, because he could see a corner of her ear, and Millerna. Van recognizing the lock of golden hair on the shoulder of the person on Hitomi's right. 

"This is too much…." he breathed, after a while. He remembered when she had had her vision of him and Folken on the bridge, seeing Dilandau from the Vione high in the sky aim at him with the liquid metal of his Alseide. She had run to him, determined to save his life. She had called out his name and pushed him away from danger. He closed his eyes, remembering the feel of her body on his for that brief moment. Her smell, her breathing; hoarse and warm on his neck.

"Van… are you happy? I wasn't sure if I should give it to you, after last night…" 

Van blinked his reverie away. "This is the greatest and most perfect present I have ever had Merle. Thank you." He smiled widely at her and welcomed her in his arms. He held her close, looking up to the moons, wondering why the day had insisted on reminding him of her.

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

Van's chambermaid Lyla was walking solemnly along the long corridors, heading for the staircase that would lead to the second floor and to her room. The day had been long and she was grateful for the rest to come. Approaching the grand doors to the Ballroom, she could hear the music and soft chatter. She was too curious to simply pass by and decided to have a peek inside. The large room was brightly lit. Musicians were playing Fanelia's tune from the far end of the room, close to the dancing area. She brushed away an unruly curl from her brow and smiled at the couples dancing.

She looked around the room and suddenly lost her smile and gasped as a too familiar individual was casually walking towards her, smiling his evil grin.

"Lyla my dear! It's been ages! How long exactly?" he watched her darkening eyes and smirked. "Precisely four hundred years, seven months and twenty-one days!" he answered himself.

He saw the anger rising in her aura and laughed.

"Now! Now! Calm down, don't act so surprised!"

"What are you doing here??" she spat, only wishing for him to disappear.

"Oh common, did you think I would just forget an important event as this?" he said, lifting his arms in the air, showing off the ballroom and the dancers.

She glared at him with hard eyes, understanding he wasn't referring at all to the celebrations, but to something they both knew much more important.

"Shitarr, don't do this, there is no need to go through it all again. Atlantis will never..."

"Oh! Lyla you're no fun! Keep the lessons, I've already heard them all from our loving brother."

"I highly doubt Lyle considers you as his brother anymore. Where's Kyara? Doing some rampage somewhere in the city?"

"No. Our little sister had to stay behind in Basram and look after it's sickly King." He sneered and added: "Making sure he stays ill long enough, permitting me to do the trip in his place."

"You disgust me!"

Shitarr dropped his grin and his blue eyes met her violet ones. "There is no turning back Lyla. Either you follow, or you die. I came to offer you and Lyle the choice. I only desire the four set of twins to live out their destinies."

Lyla was going to reply when a tall, handsome man with long blond hair walked up behind Shitarr, smiling at her. She looked confused and knitted her brows together. Shitarr looked over his shoulder and made a face at Allen.

Looking back to Lyla, he brought his lean face to hers, his nose in her hair, his mouth almost touching her ear.

"It was only a matter of time, and the time has come."

He was yanked away by a powerful grip.

"Is this man bothering you milady?" Allen asked, holding tightly Shitarr's arm and gazing at her beautiful but lost eyes. 

"No…" she softly replied, not tearing her gaze from Shitarr's, as if they were still communicating.

Allen reluctantly let go of Shitarr and he was surprised that the man didn't even look at him before leaving through the heavy doors of the ballroom.

Allen observed the young woman in front of him. It seemed as if she was on another planet. Gazing right through him. 

"Madame?" Allen asked.

Lyla snapped out of her daydream and gave him a brief smile and bowed before leaving the ballroom as well. Allen scratched his head smiling, watching her beautiful suave curves heading in the opposite direction.

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

In the hallway, Lyla met her brother Lyle.

"Have you seen Shitarr?" she demanded harshly, indignity and anger showing through her voice.

"Yes."

"Why didn't you advise me of his presence?" she spat angrily.

"I couldn't. His magic was preventing me from communicating with you..."

"What??" a look of horror on her face "Has he become that much more powerful??"

Lyle glared inside the ballroom, watching his young King entering the room from the balcony, accompanied by Merle, who was clinging to his arm.

"It's begun." he breathed.

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

__

If you have any comments , or if you wish to join the official mailing list,

please write to : celenashezar@hotmail.com

AIM : Celenasan

MSN : celena


	6. Dreams, life and destiny

Another Vision of Escaflowne 

Another Vision of Escaflowne

Disclaimer: _Usual disclaimers apply regarding Tenkuu no Escaflowne. The following is an Original Escaflowne fanfiction / fanart. The story, new characters and events are our own creation. Any resemblance with any other fanwork is purely coincidental. _

Author : Celena

Editor: Bellsandy

Illustrator: Bellsandy

****

~~ Delight in the Experience : http://bellsandi.tripod.com/AVE/index.html_ **~~**_

**__**

~~ Immerse yourself in the Experience : here **~~**

****

Episode VI

Dreams, life, and destiny

Van woke up the next morning with his mouth dry. The well-lightened room was spinning around him and he felt the need to be sick. He stayed motionless, his back pinned to his still made bed. He had shoved his cape to the ground but was wearing his white shirt and royal blue pants from the previous evening. His shirt was unbuttoned, revealing the growing muscles of his torso. He brought an unsteady arm to his face, trying to hide his eyes from the midday sun. He remembered vaguely the events of the day before and grunted. 

When the room slowed down its whirling, he slowly sat up on his bed. He moaned and immediately brought his hands to his head, brushing his hair with his fingers, vainly wishing it would brush away his nasty headache as well. He looked up at the window and realized the sun was high and warm. It was probably close to noon. 

He fumbled to the bathing room, hoping he wouldn't get sick on the way. Approaching his bath, he took off his shirt and dropped his pants. He entered the water and almost cried out, holding back a shocked yell and sending water flying over the room as his leg splashed back out of the tub. The water was cold.

"_Of course it's cold! It's been waiting for me for the past six hours!_" he thought angrily, remembering that Lyla prepared it early every morning, at his request.

He thought about his alternatives. He really needed a bath, he smelled and felt awful. He could ask for another warm bath but he was way too stubborn to admit he had been drinking too much and had just gotten out of bed. He didn't want anyone to know. Therefore, he tried once more to enter the chilly water, more slowly than before. He grimaced when he bent down to sit. When he got accustomed to the temperature of the liquid, he brought his shoulders under the water, trying to relax. Goosebumps appeared all over his naked body and he decided to quicken his cleaning.

Rubbing himself harder than usual, recollections of the night before started invading his mind. He remembered dancing with Merle, talking with Lyle, drinking too much…but why? When he was all washed up, he hastily got out of the tub. He regretted it immediately. Feeling the nausea returning, he dashed to the urn resting on a large desk near the bathing room door and emptied his stomach. Van was surprised to feel a little better afterward. He wiped out his mouth and sat on the floor for a while.

When he felt steady enough to walk, he dressed with clean clothes and headed out the bathing room door and into his room. He considered his options and decided to go back to bed, not feeling too well. He cried out to his guards who were posted on the other side of the large double doors of his chambers. He brought his hand up to his head as he did so, his cry intensifying his pain. When the guards got to his bed, he was already laying in it. The bowed on one knee and awaited his orders.

"Send Marlin." he faintly said, not opening his eyes.

The two guards gave each other a worried look and headed out the door. A few minutes later, his Majesty's private Healer entered the room. He smiled as he rapidly recognized the smell of alcohol and hangover. He walked to the bed, not remembering that the young King had ever been drunk before. 

"Nasty feeling isn't it?" he said softly, knowing the King must've had the worst headache.

"Make it go away…" Van ordered, weakly.

Marlin laughed and grinned. "I would if I could, but time is the only good remedy for the kind of sickness you're suffering from…"

Van's eyes slowly opened and he glared at the man in front of him.

"My Lord, I can give you this potion for you to breathe. It shall bring you sleep and it will help you recover from your headache." 

The Healer took out a small bottle from one of his many pockets and took away the wrapping around it, bringing Van's head up with his hand under his neck. He advanced the bottle and when Van took one sniff from the thing, his head went limp and fell backwards in the healer's hand. Marlin brought the King's head back on the pillow and put the bottle away. He went to the windows and closed each curtain tightly.

He looked back at the young sleeping figure and smiled. Heading back to the doors, he noticed a piece of wood laying on the carpet next to the bed. He bent down slowly, his back not allowing a faster movement. He reached for the wood and took it in his hands. His brows knitted together and than lifted as he admired the traits of a beautiful young woman. 

"I see…" he said aloud, gazing back at his King. He put the shadowgraph on the table next to the bed and left the room, leaving a sick Van to his dreams.

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

The Healer closed the doors behind him and warned the guards that King Van was not to be disturbed. He then decided, since he was already on the right floor, to go and take a look at his new patient from yesterday: the sister of Allen Schezar, Knight Caeli. He neared the doors to her chambers and knocked softly. He heard a masculine voice answer him.

"Come in." It said through the door. 

Marlin entered slowly and approached the bed. Celena was laying in it, her eyes wide open, not sleepy at all. Her tall, handsome brother was leaning against the window and watching with hard eyes the one who dared to interrupt his sister's convalescence. He smiled when he recognized the Healer and got to his feet, standing straight and welcoming him. 

"Good morning to you two." Marlin smiled at them. They looked so much different yet so alike at the same time.

"Good morning." The siblings answered together.

"How are you feeling today?" he asked Celena, putting a hand on her forehead, feeling for any sign of fever that would indicate infection.

"Fine! That's what I was telling my brother actually!"

"Celena…" Allen started, but decided to stay quiet.

"Good… may I?" Marlin asked, unfolding the heavy sheets of the bed, uncovering her nightgown that reached her knees. He then lifted her gown upwards, revealing long soft legs. He scrutinized her bandages. Celena had been severely hit on the side of her stomach. She saw Allen's surprise as he noticed she had suffered from a similar injury he had, months ago in Fried. 

"Perfect! No indication what so ever of infection or fever! You'll be recovering fast young Lady. Thanks to the King and your brother's quick reaction, you might not even bear a scar!" Marlin said, bringing her gown back down to her knees.

He lifted the sheets back to their original place and nodded his head to both of them before leaving the room.

Celena waited until he had closed the doors before looking back at her brother.

"See! I told you I was fine!" she smiled.

"Celena…" Allen came close to the bed and bent on his knees, taking her soft hand in his gloved one. He gazed at her deep blue eyes, her silver blond hair, and her gentle composure. "Please Celena, no more! I won't withstand living without you. Please promise you won't fight with anyone else but Gadeth or me. Please." Allen begged.

"Allen! You're depressing! I was perfectly fine until you got in my way! I could've beat the guy if you hadn't interfered!" 

"Maybe. Even so, I do not wish to tempt an unhappy fate and lose you…again."

Celena frowned and sighed her resignation. She knew Allen had been alone for such a long time. She understood well his fears and agreed to his demands. Allen's face lit up and he reached for her soft cheek, caressing it a while before bringing his face close to hers, placing a soft kiss on her forehead before rising to his feet.

"Thank you Celena." he whispered. "I'll be off to see Van now, fetch for me if you need anything, you have two guards at your doors."

"Don't worry, Allen. I'll try to rest this afternoon." Celena answered smiling.

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

Allen walked out of the room and gently closed the doors. He smiled at the guards and headed for Van's chambers. When he arrived he nodded to the huge men posted each side of the double doors to the King's chambers and moved his fist upward in a motion to knock on the door. The man standing on his left rose his arm and stopped Allen's in mid motion, with his strong hand.

"My apologies, Sir Allen, but the King is not to be disturbed."

Allen cocked a brow and asked the watchman why. 

"It is the Royal Healer's instructions."

Allen's jaw dropped, hoping nothing too serious had happened to his friend. "I understand, but if you could only let me see him a second, just to make sure he doesn't need anything, I promise then to disappear…"

The guards looked at each other and then nodded negatively.

"We're sorry, Sir Allen. We must not disobey the Healer's orders."

Allen frowned but was pleased to see Van's Royal Army so devoted and obedient. He smiled to them and walked along the extended corridors, wondering what could possibly be wrong with his friend. When he turned the corner, the sight of the lovely chambermaid from the previous evening averted his thoughts.

She was gloriously leaning against one of the large windowsills, the afternoon sun glowing through her lustrous silver-blue hair. Her shirt followed the curves of her breast and her skirt seemed to float all around her. She was sweetly talking with Lyle, the man Allen had learned was the King's youngest advisor. He had met Lyle at the dining table the night before and had enjoyed his company. He smirked at the chance to be presented to the young lady and walked directly towards them. 

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

Van stirred in his large bed. His room was dark. The sun was high in the sky outside but the long verdant drapes of his windows and doors to his balcony prevented the shining rays from disturbing his slumber. He turned his head from side to side, his brows knitted together, his teeth clenched. He dreamed.

__

Soundtrack : A Girl in Gaea Movie Soundtrack

Song : Invasion of Torushina

__

He was running. Running as fast as he could through a field in Fanelia's valleys. It was night and he was wearing his combat armor, holding his sword tight in his hand. He was searching it, hunting it. He needed it. To become a man, to become King.

He had had trouble understanding the ritual as a child, but he was the only heir to the throne and despite his beliefs and convictions, he was going to make his father proud. He did not enjoy what he was to do, nor did he believe it was right. Killing dragons was cruel and was such a challenge to a young lad as himself. He wished with all his might that he could be liberated from such a fate.

It was at that moment that he felt his body becoming lighter, and as he saw the glow of it's eyes watching him from the dark obscurity, he felt himself being hoisted away in a brilliant blue light. He closed his eyes from the rush and when the feeling slowed down, he opened his eyes to feel his feet gently landing on the solid ground. When he turned to scrutinize the unfamiliar surroundings, he was thrown backwards by a female running into him. A woman probably his age, only wearing some kind of weird shirt and short, very short pants. He pushed her away, annoyed that he didn't know where he was, and that some commoner had touched his royal person. 

Hitomi.

__

The images from the past rushed in his head and slowed down only as he felt the girl's hand on his face, slapping him hard for his arrogance. 

"I was scared, really scared!" her soft but firm voice resonated in his ears. He looked down to the drag-energist he had obtained only minutes ago from his dragon slaying. 

Hitomi.

The images rushed again, as he found himself fighting in Escaflowne, trying to save Fanelia from burning to the ground. She was there, the only one remaining, crying and caring for his country as much as he was. 

Hitomi.

The images rushed once more, and he was on the Vione, Folken's floating Fortress. He had been captured trying to save her and Allen's men in the Crusade. He heard battling behind the door of his cell, and was surprised by the crew who had came to save him. He went to get Escaflowne in the hangar and as Dilandau lurked from the smoke behind him, her sweet voice called to him, warning him of the danger, saving his life once again as he turned to face Dilandau's blow.

Hitomi.

The images rushed again, he was speaking with his brother Folken, on a bridge in Asturia's Capital, Palas. She came running behind him, yelling his name. He turned as she pushed him back, sending both of them flying to the ground just in time to avoid a huge metal claw pointed on the spot where he was standing, causing an immense hole in the wooden bridge. 

The feel of her, so close. 

Her breath on his neck. 

So close. 

Hitomi.

The images rushed anew, this time **he** was going to save **her**. Geckos had kidnapped her in the palace of Asturia and he would find her no matter what. He jumped in Escaflowne and with Merle's help, quickly found their underwater vessel and tore the hatch open, unveiling her scared, but relieved face underneath. 

Hitomi.

__

Soundtrack : A Girl in Gaea Movie Soundtrack

Song : Tree of Hearts

The images rushed once again, she was falling, falling in a fissure produced by Gaea's tremble. They had spotted a dragon graveyard and had decided to terminate Zaibach's plans for the drag-energists there. Feelings not felt in so long stirred up his chest. Fear and anxiety quickened his heartbeat and shivers covered his body. Without hesitation, he threw his shirt off and jumped from Escaflowne. He unfurled his resplendent milky wings for the first time in years and caught her extended hand with his gloved one. Relief filled his soul. 

Hitomi.

The images rushed again. He felt his heart melt at the sight of her stare upon his wings. She…liked them. She said she thought of them as beautiful. He smiled. For the first time, in such a long time. A true smile, from the heart.

Hitomi.

The images rushed once more. The voice of the man echoed in his mind.

"The prisoner is dead!"

They had been imprisoned in Fried by its young ruler. She had been the first to be interrogated by Plactu. He felt the ice stream in his veins as he ran to the room where she was held. He could not lose her. He refused to lose her. Princess Millerna was trying to reanimate her but was tiring. He put his hands on her chest, concentrating on his own heartbeat. Live. Live. Live. 

Hitomi.

The images rushed again, Back in Asturia. The burning. The hurt. The anger. The jealousy. Of course she would go for the other rather than him. The knight was handsome, had a way with women. He, how ever, did not. The kiss. The rain. The solitude. The feelings battled in his heart. 

What was going on? 

Why did it concern him so? 

Who was she to him? 

Hitomi.

The images rushed once more, Asturia again. Folken had joined the alliance. He was talking with her after her training, near the fountain. The hurt again, the doubts. The mistrust. 

Why? 

Why did he feel this way? 

Hitomi.

The images rushed again, The emptiness. The isolation. He was laying on the roof of the windmill in Asturia, watching the moons in the sky. She had left, gone back to her world. He had only wanted to protect her, and she had left. He felt yearning. Need he never felt before. 

What was it? 

Why?

He cared…how much he wasn't sure, but he cared. 

Hitomi.

The images rushed once again. The last battle. Protecting her was the only thing on his mind. Crush Zaibach. Save her. Sudden pain. Folken. Gone. Fighting against the enemy, he felt his brother's death ran over him and he cried. 

"No. NNOOOOOOO!"

Then, her gentle voice calling to him. Summoning him to her. He felt the warm, caressing feeling of her cry and the need to fight faded away. He brought Escaflowne to flight mode and directed it towards her. 

Hitomi.

The images rushed again. This time, he was holding her, in Fanelia. The war was over. She was leaving. Sadness and happiness dwelt his soul. Even so, things were clear now. 

Thank you. 

Hitomi.

The images rushed one more time, bringing him to a few nights ago. The look on her face as he was whisked away to his world, leaving her behind to her own world. She looked terrified. 

Why? 

It was her choice! 

Why? 

He felt her hard grip giving way to the pull of the blue pillar of light. For the first time, he remembered. Remembered her hard cry.

"NNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! VVAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNN!"

Darkness surrounded him. Van could see nothing now. He felt the coldness around him and put his hands into fists. Not a sound could be heard.

"Where am I?" he asked aloud.

"Vaaann". a very low, unrecognizable cry from far away barely reached his ears. 

"Who said that??" Van scrutinized his surroundings but still could not see a thing.

"Van help me!" the voice said. Van identified it this time.

"Hitomi! Hitomi! Where are you??" he started walking in front of him but stopped, not seeing where he was going.

"I don't want to hurt you!" she shouted.

Van frowned, annoyed that he wasn't able to see her.

"Hitomi, keep..." he was cut off by the most frightful, dreadful scream he had ever heard, sending a quiver down his spine.

"VVVAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNN!!!" 

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

Van sat up straight on his bed, his body dripping with sweat, his breathing hard as if he had run a thousand miles. He brought his shaky hand up to his forehead to wipe off the sweat that was coming down one of his brow. 

"_What was that?_" he thought, already slightly forgetting the dream.

He turned his head to the night table and saw her shadowgraph.

"Hitomi!" Van shouted.

He sprang out of the bed and dashed to the double doors to the balcony. He nearly tore the doors open and walked outside. He fell to his knees as he stared at the moons. The sun was lower now in the horizon. 

"Hitomi!" Van shouted "Hiiiitooommiiiiii, Please! Please don't deny me!" he yelled out.

He focused his mind on the Mystic Moon, on the one he loved living on it. She was not responding. She was ignoring his summoning. 

"I won't give up on you." he said softly, closing his eyes shut, concentrating on her traits. 

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

"_So dear brother… how did everything go?_"

Shitarr grinned as he heard the familiar voice in his head. He was sitting in the Basram Royal carriage, rolling comfortably out of the Fanelian borders towards Basram. Four Basram sentinels escorted him. Each on large horses, riding on the four corners of the carriage. He was sitting neatly in the middle of the seat, watching distantly the scenery passing by them. He was not surprised to hear the telepathic call of his twin. He knew she would be eager to know how it went. Being obliged to stay behind, out of the fun, was always arduous for her. She needed action. She needed to move. She could never stay in place for very long.

"_Fine, Kyara, perfectly fine. Lyle and Lyla are responding and it is only a matter of time before they speak with the dragon King._" Shitarr sent her his message with his mind.

"_I told you they would never agree to join us… They still believe they can fight destiny…pathetic._" The feminine voice-thought replied.

__

"I know, but I wanted to give them a chance to cooperate willingly. Their fate seems to be to participate against their wills… too bad." Shitarr thought.

He heard her small laughter and grinned.

"_You sentimental bastard!_" She thought back.

"_I know… I know, but now fate is under way, nothing will interrupt destiny's evolution. Nothing!_"

Shitarr displayed a hateful smile and closed his eyes, lost in his thoughts of power and domination.

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

Lyla was staring at the wooden floor as she was slowly pacing next to her brother. They were walking in one of the many corridors of the castle. The royal festivities were over and Lyle had been occupied the entire morning, helping the other members of the council in thanking and saluting the many guests as they left, one by one. The king was unexpectedly ill and could not do so himself. This was the first opportunity of the day she could talk with him about the past events concerning the Tomes. She shot side-glances to the tall man walking next to her. His features seemed tired. She could tell he hadn't slept at all, and the sophisticated and snobbish attitude he had had to adopt in front of all the royalty from the other countries had worn him out. Worst of all, he seemed preoccupied. Which meant what she suspected was probably taking place. 

"Are you all right brother?" she asked softly, taking his strong hand in hers.

He looked down at her and smiled sweetly.

"Yes, Lyla, do not worry, I am exhausted from the past events, but the worst is yet to come…" his smile saddened.

"Lyle! What are we to do? How can we prevent this?" Lyla asked slightly alarmed.

"I wonder… We do not know enough to start worrying…Shitarr doesn't seem to have found any of the other Tomes either… Time has gone by since the last time I've seen him. His anger has only rooted more forcefully."

"I know, I felt it, too… He is so miserable!"

"Lyla…maybe we should speak with the King…"

She stopped abruptly and looked up into his deep sapphire eyes.

"NO! What if we trigger the wrong fate?! We should stay away from him and the seeress?! If we reunite them, it could mean the end of Gaea! Can't you see?"

"Lyla, I disagree…" Lyle started softly, gently stroking her long, curly hair. 

"We knew the fates of the Ebony and Scarlet twins, it was written in the first tome and their destinies have occurred. But we know nothing of our fates in all this. The Silver and Ivory twins are involved in the Tomes of Augury but this does not necessarily mean we will bring Gaea to its doom."

"Oh, Come on, Lyle! You read the texts! If we participate in getting them together, we're tampering with the balance and we might open the gate!"

"Now we don't know that! Not until we read all of the four Tomes! And besides, I highly doubt we could even keep them apart!"

Lyla pouted. She knew Lyle was right. The dragon King and seeress from the Mystic Moon were destined to meet, and they had. They were destined to save each other, in more than one way, and they had… It was only a matter of time before…

"We must speak with the King." Lyle uttered, taking her from her thoughts.

"Oh Lyle…" she sang sadly, leaning against the windowsill. The sun shone through her silver-blue hair. Lyle stared at her fondly. She cared for this world, she was going to live up to her fate. She was strong.

"Lyla, I believe in us, and I believe in them."

"I do too… but I am apprehensive about what is to come, my mind is usually so clear, but lately fog has gathered and I wonder why…"

"Shitarr!" they hissed together, understanding that he had now much more power than they could imagine. He had probably been the one clouding their psychic powers.

"Lyle, promise me, that no matter what happens, you wont tell King Van about Varie, He is already too angry with our kind. We will also need to ponder what to say and what to keep from him until the time is right." Lyla pleaded, anguish in her voice.

Lyle frowned and acquiesced.

Lyla smiled, still unsure with their decision, but glad one was made. She looked over his shoulder and saw the tall blond man from before walking directly toward them. Watching his heavenly features and cerulean eyes brought a blush to her tanned cheeks. 

Lyle knitted his brows at the sight of his sister and followed her gaze. He smiled and greeted the one approaching them.

"Sir Allen, nice to see you today. I noticed you didn't leave with most of the other guests this morning."

"The King and Queen of Asturia will be leaving the day after tomorrow, but I do not know if I will be accompanying them. My sister might not be ready to make the trip so we'll be staying for a while longer." the Knight Caeli answered, smiling back at him. He then looked down to Lyla and smiled the most captivating smile… in her opinion.

"Good day, Lady?" Allen said softly, taking her hand in his, bending and gently brushing her bare skin with his lips.

"Lyla, Lyla Nabear." she answered, blushing anew. 

Lyle grinned at the sight. It had been ages since Lyla had responded to a man's advances, and there had been many man to cross her path. The knight gazed into her perplexing purple eyes, losing himself in their depths. 

Lyle cleared his throat, purposefully breaking the charm.

"Lyla, I must go to the council and prepare our next gathering. I give you the rest of the afternoon off. Lord Van won't be needing you anyway." He then turned to Allen. "I am quite confident I can count on you to please my sister with your presence till dinner is served?"

Allen gaped, as he understood the relationship between the two, glad he wasn't in competition with Lyle. He smiled the widest white-toothed grin Lyla had ever seen.

"I should be able to entertain her till then…" he said smoothly, extending his arm towards the woman.

Lyla wasn't sure if she should be flattered or offended by the blond man's confidence. She slowly locked her arm in his and her apprehensions lifted at the sight of his smiling eyes.

"Perfect. See you then, Sir Allen!" Lyle nodded to both of them and left.

Allen turned to the beautiful maid holding his arm. "My name is Allen Schezar, Knight Caeli of Asturia." he declared. 

"I know…" Lyla replied simply, smiling.

Allen smiled back.

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

Merle begged Van's men guarding his chambers for quite a while before screaming at them and leaving. 

"_How could they refuse? Refuse me!_" Merle sulked. "_I gotta know what's wrong with Lord Van! He probably needs me!_" she thought, genuinely believing herself. A smile crept to her face. "_I have other ways… I'm a cat after all!_"

She looked behind her and spotted the guards at the far end of the corridor, still standing in front of the king's room. They weren't looking in her direction so she quickly entered the room to her right. It was dark, but she knew it was a small bedroom. 

She grinned at the thought. Small bedroom. Two enormous King size beds. Long, tall bedposts at each corner, reaching high towards the ceiling. The ceiling was at least 12 feet high and a large bronze chandelier hung loosely in the middle of the room. Two double door closets on one wall, one large dresser and one mirror on the other. There was a wooden door to an adjacent bathing room and large glass ones to the balcony. This was considered small. Merle smiled wickedly. 

She advanced easily in the dark, her bright blue eyes having no trouble at all seeing in the gloomy chamber. She reached the doors to the balcony and opened them. The cool air of the night crept inside and a small breeze traveled through her pink, shoulder-length hair. She looked at the moons in the sky and breathed in the fresh air. She put one hand on the railing and looked towards Van's balcony. The glass doors were wide open, the dark curtains were waving a little in the draft. No light was burning. Perhaps he was asleep. 

Three other balconies, each at about 15 feet from each other, separated Van's windows from hers. She smiled and jumped on the heavy stoned railing and sprang high in the air, softly landing on the next balcony, sending her short yellow dress flying. She did the same again with naturalness, as if it wasn't the first time she had snooped around and snuck into the King's chambers. She jumped one last time before setting foot on the large railing of Van's balcony. She gently slipped down from her perch and looked down at her oldest friend.

"Oh Lord Van…" she whispered softly, bending down on him.

Van was laying on the stone floor of his balcony, in almost fetal position. He had drifted to sleep, his pale face stained with his tears. His long arms were around his waist in an attempt to keep himself warm. He had not waken with Merle's arrival, did not even stir. She put a hand on his back and sighed, looking back at the twin moons in the sky. 

"_I don't even recognize him anymore!_" she thought to herself, her own eyes watering. "_Hitomi! Do something!_" 

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

Merle saw the sun rise many times over Fanelia, its warmth increasing with every day passing by. It had been over a week now since Fanelia's festivities. Van wasn't feeling better. Merle sat on a bench near the widow of her room. She had no balcony, but a large window that overlooked the city. Her elbows were resting on the widow sill, her hands cupping her face. She was gazing into the distance, not watching anything in particular. Memories of the past day haunted her mind.

__

"What is it Lord Van?" she finally took it upon herself to ask. Obviously, he was not going to say anything on his own.

He had spent the past days brooding in his chambers, only coming out to eat and attend his meetings. His face was pale and indifferent. He had refused to see anyone, even her, which hurt her deeply. Allen had tried to talk to him and had been coldly pushed away. Allen also seemed hurt at first, but seemed to have figured out what was happening, for he did not argue further and appeared to understand him. Allen did not attempt to talk with Van again. 

Well, she refused to give up on her friend. She had to know what was troubling him. Van hadn't been himself since that fateful night back on the Mystic Moon. She had to help him…somehow.

"I don't want to talk about it, Merle…" Van answered weakly. He had just come out of the conference room, out from an other boring meeting. He was hurrying back to his chambers, to his only retreat. Merle had been waiting for him outside, waiting for his meeting to end. She ran on all fours to keep up with his hasty pace.

"Lord Van! Lord Van, wait!! Please speak with me!"

"Merle…LEAVE ME ALONE!" Van spat out angrily. 

Merle stopped dead in her tracks, tears filling her eyes. She watched Van's form leaving. She stayed there crying. Soon her sadness hit rock bottom, which caused it to be replaced with anger. She hurried to him on all fours, standing in front of him, her arms stretched out sideways in an effort to stop him. Van halted and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Merle! I'm warning you…" he did not finish his phrase as the loud sound of her hand colliding with his cheek echoed in his ears. He brought a hand to his reddening cheek, his eyes full of surprise as he, for the first time that week, took a good look at his friend. 

She was sobbing in front of him, her hand still in the air. A moment passed before she could say anything. Van regained his composure.

"How dare you, Merle! I don't recognize you at all!" He stated, offended. She had never done anything like this before. 

Merle's brows furrowed. 

"You don't recognize me??" she managed through her sobs. "YOU DON'T RECOGNIZE ME???" She shouted.

Van took a step back, not used to seeing Merle's claws and fangs come out when she was with him.

"LORD VAN! What's with you?!" she inquired, trying to calm her cries.

"Merle, Leave me alone, I don't want to discuss it with you, not with anyone!" With that, Van carefully walked pass her, feeling moodier by the minute.

Merle turned to see him go. "Fine! Go to your hole! Go bury yourself in self-pity! I don't care! You want to be sad, FINE!" she screamed at him. When she noticed it had no effect on him she screamed again. "Let her go Lord Van! She's gone… GONE!"

Van ceased walking, his head coming down, and his chin almost against his chest. She saw his hands curl into fists. She calmed down and came closer to him. She lifted her hand to his shoulder, but stopped in mid air.

"Lord Van?" she questioned softly.

She heard him sigh deeply. 

"I don't want to let her go Merle." he finally whispered.

"Lord Van… tell me what happened." she said softly, resting her hand on his shoulder now. She felt him quivering and her heart throbbed. He was suffering so much. She was ready to claw Hitomi to pieces for hurting her Lord Van in such a way, even if she was her friend.

They walked silently to Van's chambers. He did not look at the guards on each side of his doors as he slowly opened one. Merle stayed in the corridor, certain that Van wouldn't let her in. To her surprise, Van did not close the door behind him as he disappeared in his rooms. Merle's heart jumped in her chest. He was inviting her in! He was finally going to talk! At last! She was going to be able to help!

She entered the dark room cautiously. It was midday but his heavy curtains were closed, casting a depressing atmosphere over the place. She spotted Van laying on his bed, on top of his covers. She glided to him, not wanting him to tire of her before she could get started on helping him.

"Lord Van…" she inquired, after several minutes of silence.

And then it all came out. The desire to see her again, the track field, the thunderstorm, their closeness at one time, the distance. What he had intended to do, why he had gone. The way she had welcomed him, the way she had rejected him. The nightmares, coming and going every night since that fateful night with her. And the way he was trying hard to contact her every minute he had alone, without succeeding. 

"She's not responding. She's refusing to answer me… I don't get it. I just don't get it!" Van concluded. 

"And you really think she called out to you when you left her?" Merle asked, haltingly, emotion blocking her voice in her throat.

"Yes. Every night I hear it louder and clearer. She called out my name when I left, almost as if…. Almost as if she had had a change of heart…about us."

Merle thought of what she was going to say next. It was going to be painful for him, especially coming from her.

"Maybe Lord Van, just maybe, your mind has imagined this to help you deal with the hurt… Maybe in order to give you false hope so you can feel better…"

Van, who had been staring at the ceiling the whole time, met her gaze and briefly smiled.

"I don't think so Merle…. I know I heard right."

"If that were so… she would be responding Lord Van… She's not…"

Van let out a sharp pained breath. "I know, I know! That's why I don't understand…."

Merle's thoughts were disturbed as a small bird came down and landed on her windowsill, jumping lightly towards her left elbow. She looked down at it and licked her lips. 

"Better not stay here little one…" she said softly to it, causing the bird to fly away. She watched it go, leaping over the city, heading far far away over the canyon's valley…

Merle felt a hand on her shoulder. She yelped and swiftly turned around, claws instinctively reaching out for the intruder. Her paws met with a familiar red shirt. Her gaze reached a smiling Van' face.

"Lord Van? How did you get here? I mean… How come I didn't hear you enter??"

Van smirked. "You seemed lost in your thoughts Merle, and I came in very quietly…" he said sheepishly. 

"Well, I'm glad you're here, Lord Van… You seem to be feeling better." she said, noticing that the dark bags under his eyes had decreased since the day before, showing he had finally slept.

"I am feeling better, thank you." he replied, exhibiting his white-toothed grin. 

This brought a smile to Merle's face. She was happy he was trying to cope with his loss. She recognized the signs. The same from when he had lost his father, his brother, then his mother, and now Hitomi. He was acting like Van again. Strong.

She didn't need to ask him. She knew what he was thinking this time. Instead of sulking, he had decided to move on. Not forget, and perhaps, still try to understand. But he was going to put his energy in Fanelia, taking his mind off his worries. The same way he had dealt with her departure the last time. And she was going to help him deal with it, too. She knew just how.

"Lord Van, I was thinking of going riding. Would you like to come? The weather is warm… We could bring lunch and perhaps have a picnic."

"I wish I could, Merle, but Lyle has called a meeting with me and says it's very important. I was going there when I saw you sitting on the bench from your open bedroom door…"

"It's okay, Lord Van!" Merle answered, glad he was at least keeping himself busy. "Maybe later!" she added.

Van smiled to her and agreed.

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

Van entered the conference room and was surprised to see the room entirely empty. Only Lyle was standing next to the window. His tall square back was turned to him. You could admire the long, silver-violet braid journeying down his back to his waist. Lyle turned and brushed away a long straight hair that reached his chin, only to have it fall back to it's original place. Van smiled to him and turned his gaze to the round table and was even more surprised to see his chambermaid Lyla comfortably sitting in one of the cushioned chairs.

"What is the meaning of this?" Van asked, looking back at Lyle and pointing towards Lyla. Although he didn't particularly care, maids and servants were not allowed to sit where the royalty and high figures usually did.

"We needed to talk to you in private, my Lord," Lyle answered smoothly.

"Am I to understand there is no council meeting then?" Van inquired.

"There will be one, in about half an hour, but we must inform you of something first." Lyla's sweet voice echoed in the large room.

Van raised an eyebrow and looked from one to the other, questioningly.

"Do you recall a man from Basram speaking of the Tomes of Augury the night of the ball?" Lyle carefully asked.

Van flinched. That was one night he absolutely wished to forget.

"Yes, that is one of the few memories I still have of the evening." he answered blushing, realizing that he may have had said too much and that they would find out about him being drunk that evening. But they did not catch on, for Lyla continued.

"There are many tales and legends about the four Tomes, recounting Atlantis's story."

"Gaea knows of the story of Atlantis. The treasure sword of Fried tells the story quit vividly, if my memory serves me well." Van turned his gaze to the side as recollections of his adventures with Allen and his crew, with Hitomi and Merle invaded his mind.

"It is true, your Highness, that the treasure sword, when used, projects Atlantean writing and explains the horrors the people of Atlantis went through…" started Lyla.

"But it is only one point of view…" finished Lyle.

"The treasure sword showed us what the ancients wanted Gaea to learn in an attempt to prevent a similar fate for this planet." Lyla continued.

"But some Atlanteans, still blinded by lust and power, recorded precise instructions in a hand written manuscript on how to revive the power of Atlantis and the Draconians from ashes." Lyle said.

"The manuscript was hand written to make sure that the elders of Atlantis would not feel any magic used in the making of other legacies, like they used on the treasure sword. The Atlanteans wished peace for Gaea, wished that their errors and fate would never repeat themselves. If they had known that someone was trying to reanimate such pain and destiny, they would have stopped them immediately. Someone realized that by using old forms of communication, writing and reading, they could pass on the way to accomplish their rebirth on Gaea without anyone knowing…" Lyla continued.

"Through the Tomes of Augury." Van concluded, pulling up a chair and sitting at the large wooded table.

"Yes." Lyle agreed.

"The legends say that the manuscript was sent to Gaea when Atlantis vanished from existence. It was sent with the power of one's will, as was all that was sent and created on Gaea. Protected by sorcery, the book was indestructible. When the Atlanteans found out about the book, they had only enough time and power to divide the volume in four, sealing its contents and sending them to the four corners of the planet. Sacrificing themselves, the ones known as the Ebony and Scarlet twins swore to hide away the Tomes and protect them as long as they would live." Lyle added.

"Legends also say that the four Tomes separately will do no harm. All four Tomes must be reunited in order to understand their meaning completely. But we have been recently perceiving a dark force which is searching for this power and we already know that the time for the rebirth is near. It is said that when the two moons meet and unite, if the elements are in place, there is nothing to stop Atlantis's horrible fate from happening on Gaea.

"What do you mean when the Moons unite? And how do you know all this??" the King questioned, amazed by their knowledge of history.

"When Gaea was born, millennia ago, the moons were on each end of the sky. Through the centuries, they have come closer, and now you can see them touching, the Mystic Moon almost completely hiding behind the other. Their speed seems to be exponential. The closer they get to each other, the more forceful their attraction is and their speed accelerated. When the Mystic Moon is hidden directly behind the smaller, it will be possible to initiate the ceremony of redemption." Lyle answered the first question.

"Lord Van, when we first met, we told you we were from a distant country, raised by monks. Do you remember?" Lyla asked.

Van simply nodded.

"We were raised by an occult clergy, along with other children who had lost their parents. We have decided to become, as our mentors, priest and priestess. We wished to be the best and we were, by far, the best students and we were honored by being introduced to more powerful magic. Our mentor entrusted us with the most mystical magic even he could not master. We, on the contrary, did easily. With that, we were given access to an infinite knowledge in the many libraries of the mansion. The down part of this story is that there were two others who were just as good as us, if not better. They followed the same path we did, and when they were given access to the libraries, they somehow found out about the Tomes of Augury." Lyla explained.

"We all knew that the power of our wishes was very strong. Shitarr and his sister Kyara used it with eyes and hearts blinded with wild anger and need for revenge for the awful past they had experienced before coming to the mansion. They left the mansion in search of the Tomes, and they found the first." Lyle added.

"WHAT?" Van jumped from his chair. "You mean to tell me that THAT man, who was sitting at MY table, is plotting the end of Gaea?"

Lyla and Lyla looked at each other with saddened expressions.

"When we heard of this, we decided to leave the mansion and find the two to try to talk them out of their horrible plans. When we found them, they showed us the first Tome. They tricked us into helping them translate the Atlantean writing, saying that they would try and find a way do destroy the Tomes, that with the power of our wishes combined, we could do it." Lyle sighed.

"We were naive back then…" Lyla whispered softly. 

"So what did you learn?" asked Van, anticipation clearly showing in his voice.

"It is a long and fastidious work to translate and understanding its meaning was not easy. We believe that the message in the first Tome shows us the different elements that must be put in place in order for the ceremony to take place." stated Lyle.

"It is said that two keepers, one who is the last of his clan, the other a seeress from afar, will unveil the gate to the power, using the key. The guardian of the power is needed for the ceremony to work, for he will unleash the power. It is also said that the three will be led by four Guides known as the Silver and Ivory twins." explained Lyla. 

"We figured out that the last of his clan is you, Lord Van. Knowing of your origins, it is easy to understand, and it would be rather logical that a Draconian is given the power to reawaken his ancestors' power." said Lyle.

"The seeress from afar, we understood only recently, is the girl from the Mystic Moon, the one you called Hitomi. The power of Atlantis is strong in her and she has come to Gaea to fulfil her destiny with you." Lyla proceeded. 

"But she left! She went home months ago!" Van gasped "How could she be the one? She's not on Gaea anymore!"

"That is the fate of the Guides, to reunite the elements for the ceremony to take place…" Lyla answered.

"And who are these Guides?" Van demanded, anger now slowly filling his voice.

Lyle looked down to his sister who was still sitting neatly on one of the chairs on the other side of the table. She looked back at him in silence. Van felt as if they were communicating in a nonverbal way, wondering when they would respond.

"Well?" he demanded, losing patience.

"When we learned our heritage, our fate, we decided to come to Fanelia to prevent it, but it seems destiny has many ways of influencing our ways… We meant to protect the second Tome, following the footsteps of the Ebony twins, but it seems no one can escape their destiny…" Lyla softly declared.

"YOU??" Van uttered "You are the Guides???"

"The Sliver twins that are said to guide the elements, but we are not alone… The Ivory twins, Shitarr and his sister Kyara as well…" Lyle said affirmatively. 

Van fell back on his chair. Lyle and Lyla's story had begun as some distant dream, but now, he was forced to acknowledge that the facts were getting close to him, to his world, and that perhaps he would be obliged to do something about it. He could not ignore the problem.

"So what are you going to do? Hitomi is on her planet, far away. If you want the ceremony to take place, she'll have to be here. Are you going up there to bring her here?" he asked, wondering how they were going to bring Hitomi, against her will, to Gaea.

"We do not want for the ceremony to take place!" Lyle answered shocked.

"We do not want to wake the power of Atlantis! In fact, if the girl from the Mystic Moon could stay as far as possible from you, it would be wonderful! It would be the best way to stop doom from coming down on Gaea…" Lyle added.

Van displayed a worried look, then hesitation, and then anger.

"You're suggesting I never see Hitomi again." he stated angrily. 

"My Lord, we understand what you feel for her, but your union would bring disaster to the planet… As long as she is on her own planet, Gaea is safe." Lyla said softly. 

Lyle crossed his arms to his chest and added: "I wouldn't be worried about not seeing her again. The Ivory twins wish for this gathering with all their might and will be sure to bring the girl to you…"

Van opened his eyes wide. "How?" he asked.

Lyle shrugged. It was not important. 

"King Van, we need to find out about the other elements: the key, the guardian, the place where the ceremony must take place and what the ceremony is to be. We need to discover all that to make sure to take as many elements away from Shitarr and Kyara as possible. We must prevent the horrors of Atlantis from happening on Gaea. We must!"

Van suddenly felt doubtful of Lyle. He had trusted him from the moment they had met, but did not know what to do now. What if Lyle and Lyla were to use the information HE would help them to attain to revive the power of Atlantis? The twins seemed to read his mind as they both warmly smiled to him.

"You must not fear us, My Lord. In fact, we have as much apprehension as you do for what is to come. But we must absolutely stop Shitarr and Kyara. Gaea's future depends on us." 

Van shuttered. Not again.

"So now I know why you two showed up and demanded asylum in Fanelia…"

"Lord Van, the council will be arriving any minute now… I must leave, and you have to decided on what to inform them and what actions should be taken…" Lyla said rising from her seat.

Van rose as well. Lyla bowed and shot a look at her brother before leaving the conference room. Van turned to the window and Lyle awaited his orders.

"I am very confused Lyle. I have many questions still to ask you…" Van paused when he heard one of his advisors entering the room. The old man curtsied and took his seat around the table. He was soon joined by other members slowly entering the room, softly chatting among themselves, wondering what this unusual meeting was going to be about.

Lyle did not take his gaze off the King as he saluted all who entered his conference room. When the King looked back at him he answered him with his mind. He did not have to hide that power from his Majesty anymore.

"_All in due time my Lord, all in due time. Have faith, we shall be victorious._"

Van was stunned to hear Lyle's voice in his head, but figured there were going to be many surprises ahead.

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

__

If you have any comments , or if you wish to join the official mailing list,

please write to : celenashezar@hotmail.com

AIM : Celenasan

MSN : celena


	7. Conflicted Emotions

Sorry, my error… coming soon though ^_^ 

Another Vision of Escaflowne

Disclaimer: _Usual disclaimers apply regarding Tenkuu no Escaflowne. The following is an Original Escaflowne fanfiction / fanart. The story, new characters and events are our own creation. Any resemblance with any other fanwork is purely coincidental. _

Author : Celena

Editor: Bellsandy

Illustrator: Bellsandy

****

~~ Delight in the Experience : http://bellsandi.tripod.com/AVE/index.html_ **~~**_

**__**

~~ Immerse yourself in the Experience : here **~~**

****

Episode VII

****

Conflicted emotions

__

Soundtrack : Original soundtrack two

Song : A far Cry

Shitarr walked slowly through the ashen pavement of Basram, his long dark purple coat gently waving behind him. He did not stop to greet the people he crossed in the streets, nor did he notice the many tall buildings of stone and granite climbing to the sky. He reached a temple and casually strolled in. It was a very modest little building, made of carved wood. The walls represented the history of Basram, graphics engraved in the hard beams picturing the main events of the past. The latest event, the Great War, was still under construction, as artisans sculpted a scene with Guymelefs and warriors fighting for the freedom of Gaea, under the light of a powerful bombing blast of unnatural force. 

Shitarr headed to the front of the small temple and halted at the altar. He gazed at the hundreds of burning candles, which were reposing on it. He then bent on one knee and brought his head down in a demonstration of respect. He heard a small, almost hidden laughter to his right and searched for its origin. He smiled to the woman sitting on the first bench and got up to his feet. As he approached her, he looked behind him to the workers who kept busy with their activities, not interested in him or the woman.

"You sure have talent when it comes to pretending, brother…" Kyara said, rising to her feet and greeting him with a warm embrace. 

Shitarr smirked and gave a quick glance to the workers behind them.

"Simply making sure not to attract any unwanted suspicions. It would look strange if the Priest did not show respect for his religion…" he answered lightly.

"HA! I can't wait for the moment when these impotent people learn what it truly means to be Priest and Priestess of Elysium!" Kyara replied.

"How is our King?" she added, smirking a false smile.

"The effects of your meddling with his mind is finally wearing off… he seems to feel much better now, he doesn't look ill at all." Shitarr answered, taking her hands in his and obliging her to sit next to him.

Kyara laughed loudly.

"Well I hope so! You've been back for over a week now and I had stopped administrating my deceptive spell even before you came back! Puny little human! Can't even recover from a fake illness!" she said more softly for the workers not to hear her.

Shitarr smiled and admired his luscious womanly sister. Although they both appeared to be no more than twenty-five, They both had white shimmering hair. Hers was long, straight and reached her belly when on each side of her face. Her crimson, voluptuous lips remained in contrast with her pale and soft skin. Her salmon colored eyes danced in the light of the candles and her white teeth glittered at every smile or laughter.

She was wearing a tight chalky blouse and black vest, showing off her curves. Her top was opened at the bottom, showing her sly tummy. She wore black tights that glued to her long sensual legs, which the only sight made every man quiver. She wore a long reddish-brown skirt that opened in the front, covering her rear from wandering eyes. She was definitely aware of the effect she had on men and enjoyed tormenting them with her seductive figure and swaying hips when she walked. 

No longer able to resist, he came down on her and kissed her harshly on the mouth. The flavor of her lips set his own on fire and he was to deepen the kiss when stinging pain enveloped his desire and he quickly retreated away. He looked at her with shocked eyes as the taste of his blood invaded his mouth. He brought a gloved hand up to wipe out his bitten, bleeding lip and anger filled his soul as he glared at the wide smile on his sister's face. She came closer to him and whispered to his ear.

"I don't think it is a good idea for us to attract unwanted attention and suspicion just yet dear **_brother_**." she said, glancing at the workers who had not noticed a thing.

As he understood his mistake, his anger diminished but he was still furious with the way she had pushed him off.

"Fine." he simply said before rising. He didn't give her another look as he headed towards the back of the temple, pass the workers and out the large doors. Once back out in the city street, he took in a long breather of fresh air to cool down his fury as much as his passion. He didn't hear her footsteps as she came up close behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head on his shoulder. 

"Are you mad at me darling **_brother_**?" she said almost teasingly.

Shitarr sighed. How could he when he could feel her body cuddled against his like that? He held her hands in his and hastily turned around, bringing her arms behind her own back. 

"Mmmm, am I being punished?" she teased again.

Shitarr swiftly looked around and when he was sure they were alone, brought his lips to hers in a new passionate kiss. The kiss intensified as he parted her lips with his own and explored her mouth with his tongue. Kyara went limp in his arms and moaned in her throat. Shitarr quickly broke the kiss and backed away, freeing her arms. Kyara looked at him with a mixture of desire and hurt.

"Now we're even" Shitarr stated before turning and heading for the castle.

"Jerk!" she yelled out behind him, which made him smile with satisfaction. 

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

Van slammed his fists on the round wooden table of his conference room and got up to his feet.

"You are not listening!" he shouted, anger firing his ruby eyes.

He looked around the table, noticing neither the advisors or generals risked meeting his hard glare. Neither, except Lyle and High General Gushen. 

"It _IS _Fanelia's concern if the Tomes of Augury are brought together! The ancient manuscript Lyle told us about will explain the exact procedures to awaken the power of Atlantis!"

"I agree we need to deal with this matter, get rid of Atlantis's shadow over Gaea once and for all, but why must you be the one to take on this task?" the elder of the advisors asked.

Van frowned, it felt as if they hadn't listen to Lyle's words at all. They had been arguing for hours now about the legitimacy of the legends and Lyle's knowledge, then about the different scenarios and consequences of the power of Atlantis on Gaea. He gave a pleading look to his youngest advisor, silently asking him to relate the legends once more.

"Master Jaden" Lyle said softly, attempting to melt the tensing feeling rising in the air. 

"Lyla and myself are priestess and priest who have come from afar to warn you of the peril lurking over Gaea. Do not be blinded by our youth, you are not to question our knowledge. We only tell you the truth. We have come to Fanelia, knowing its King had an important role to play in the rebirth of Atlantis's power." Lyle paused, and then pursued.

"We have also to believe the second Tome was brought within Fanelia's borders by one of the Ebony twins. The Ebony twins are known to be, along with the Scarlet twins, the protectors of the four Tomes. Those twins, who have given up family and friends to risk their lives in order to save millions, are said to have all perished doing so. Their deaths must not be in vain. We must find the Tomes before the Ivory twins do. Their wrathful minds have blinded their senses and hearts. They no longer know what they are doing. If we do not intercept the Tomes, there will be no stopping them. It is his Majesty's duty to get involved for he has no choice. He is suspected to be one of the keepers which means he'll be mixed up in this sooner or later. There are to many unknown elements to simply wait and see what is to happen. If the power of Atlantis was great enough to destroy itself, it will surely obliterate Gaea as well. We must act now before it is too late."

A thick silence roamed over the conference room, Lyle's declaration finally sinking in everyone's mind. Van sighed and looked at his men. The three older advisors were lost in their thoughts and the three Generals looking at each other with eyes filled with unspoken questions and worries. Van knew they were thinking their troops were not ready for a battle, even less a second war. He looked at High General Gushen who had closed his eyes, as if in deep meditation. He didn't seem aware of his three General's concern.

Lyle nodded to the King, gesturing him to sit back down at the table. Van complied, feeling himself calming and even more shaken with the burden to come.

"We have no choice." Lyle announced solemnly, adding profoundness to his story.

"What does his Majesty wish to do with this matter?" General Gushen inquired, keeping his eyes closed. He hadn't said a word the entire time and Van was relieved to finally have his support.

"Well…" Van began more smoothly.

"We need to find out who the other keeper is, me being the first is pretty evident. The last of his kind can only mean me."

There were sighs across the table, all hated to be reminded of the King's infamous heritage. Van closed his eyes to this, in order to contain his anger and continued.

"We must also find the Guardian, who is claimed to unleash the power and decide what to do with him or her. We must also find out what and where the key is. Perhaps destroying it will answers our prayers for redemption."

"The best way to do so is to find the Tomes. They indicate all of what you have mentioned and if we find them before the Ivory twins, we favour our side for they will not know of the elements to be joined." Lyle declared. 

"Fine, but where to start looking?" asked the advisor named Ronius. 

"Lyla and myself will join the search party. Our abilities of dowsing, intensified by one of the keepers presence will likely locate the Tomes before Shitarr and Kyara do." Lyle stated.

"Dowsing?! Hitomi could do that!" Van exclaimed.

Lyle cocked a brow, doubtful that a mere child who wasn't of his origins could match his powers, but kept quiet about it. 

"We will need the support of the neighbouring countries. If they have any clue of the whereabouts of the Tomes, they must be warned of the danger. Ronius, you and Jafyr will dispatch messages to all of Fanelia's allies." Van ordered, looking at the two advisors next to him.

"General Gushen, I would like you to join us, we could need your skills if we encounter trouble" Van added.

Then he thought: "_when we encounter trouble WHEN we encounter trouble_".

General Gushen stayed silent and finally opened his eyes.

"I think not, my Lord." he replied boldly. 

Van blinked in surprise as all held their breaths, anticipating the King's anger, which did not come.

"Why?" demanded Van. 

"Because I shall stay to protect Fanelia, and train its samurais. I have a feeling the journey on which you are about to embark will be the determining one and that Gaea will meet it's final conflict as a result. Your men will need preparation till then. And besides, I know of an excellent swordsman who could do the job nicely. There is only to ask the King of Asturia for his agreement and I am positive the assistance of the famous Knight Caeli will be appreciated as much as mine would."

Van turned his head to the side. He had thought about the eventuality of another Great War but had pushed it out of his head, the hurt of seeing Fanelia burning and his people suffering was too much and too recent in his mind. Hearing it from another pushed back in the fears and he was thankful to have someone as wise as Gushen to stand up to him. Allen Schezar would surely be glad to initiate a new adventure with him. Feeling himself slightly looking forward to it, he looked back at General Gushen, who was carefully observing him.

"You speak the truth Gushen" Van replied. 

"We shall contact the King and Queen of Asturia and inform them of the recent events. We will call for their aid and see what help they can give." he added.

"Perfect!" smiled Lyle, pleased they all finally agreed on the matter.

"In my absence, Master Jaden and High General Gushen will take over my responsibilities." Van ordered, and the two mentioned bowed in obedience. 

"Your Highness…" interrupted the elder.

"Please, remember you are the last of the Royal bloodline, if something should happen to you…" 

"Nothing is going to happen to me. Don't worry." Van answered, trying to look as confident as he could.

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

Allen appeared to coolly analyze what he had just learnt. He let out no expression, entirely lost in his thoughts. He was the complete opposite from the man who had cried his heart out to the world the day his sister was injured in battle. His face was emotionless, his brows only slightly furrowed to prove he had been listening to the Fanelian King, and was reasoning with the new information he had now.

Van had told him of the meeting with Lyle, Lyla and the advisors as soon as he had found him. It was close to evening but the warm sun and breeze allowed them to talk freely on the balcony of the castle throne room. Van studied Allen's reaction and was not surprised to see none, recognizing his old friend from the past Great War. Composed. Wise. Calm. No wonder Hitomi had felt for him, Allen was good looking, strong, intelligent…

"_Why am I thinking of that at a time like this?_" Van thought, angry with himself for feeling such a weakly emotion as jealousy. He concentrated on the present time and Allen again.

"I am sure the King and Queen will agree to this… but Van, I have to get my sister to safety first. It won't be for a couple of weeks before she can travel home again. I want to bring her back to Asturia, and know her safe there before going on any mission with you…" Allen finally said.

"Allen, your sister will be safe in the castle with my men guarding the area, you have not to worry about her." Van replied, a little hurt that Allen wouldn't trust his men with the care of his sister. 

Allen seemed to notice this as he added :

"I know Van, I agree. But she would be all alone in a country she doesn't know and it's the first time she has come to Fanelia since Dilandau has gone. She continually has conflicted emotions about her past and I'm sure it would be safer for her mind to keep the visit as short as possible."

Van hadn't thought of that and agreed by nodding. The last thing he wanted was to see Dilandau resurface while he was away, although it wasn't supposed to be possible, and burn his city down again. 

"A missive has already been sent to Asturia, we shall hear of the King and Queen's reaction to this mess in a few days… Till then, I must organize my absence with the advisors who will be replacing me." Van told Allen.

"Van, you can count on my men and I to go through it with you. The Crusade and it's crew is at your service." Allen stated warmly.

"Thank you Allen. I appreciate your aid and as soon as Celena is better, we will head for Palas to take her home. Meanwhile, I am positive there is enough to do in Fanelia to keep me busy…" replied Van smiling softly.

__

Soundtrack : For Lovers only

Song : Cradle song

With that, Van turned and left Allen to his thoughts. The older man looked back over the city of Fanelia and sighed. The routine in his life had sure vanished the day he had met the King of Fanelia. Allen thought of his new mission to come. Asturia was sure to agree with the King's plan. Allen knew King Dryden would do anything in his power to stop a war from erupting, or anything worse. 

He thought of his new King and frowned. He had been slightly envious when Dryden had been obliged to come back to Palas and take his place as King. He and Millerna had rediscovered themselves and her attention gradually turned completely towards the King. Allen was glad she had fallen in love with Dryden, but couldn't help to feel sadden. His fling with the dashing young princess was thing of the past. Letting loneliness invade his heart once more. Of course it was easy for him to have company every day (and night) he wished, but the feelings weren't there. Thankfully, he was no longer alone. Celena was back and she was mischievous as ever, keeping him busy.

Millerna had only been a fling. He seduced her because she reminded him of Marlene, her older sister, his one true love. Allen's heart ached. 

"_True love…_" he thought to himself. 

"_Hitomi…._" 

From what Van had told him, chances were that he would see her again soon. He was unsure of his feelings for her. He had understood the bond between the King and the girl from the Mystic Moon. Their love for each other was as evident as the rotation of the sun and moons. But still, he couldn't help to feel something more than affection for her… but it wasn't love…was it? How would he react to see her again? To see her fall into Van's arms? Allen frowned and glanced at the wine in his glass before gulping it all down.

Lyla. The name had such a melodious chime to it. He had enjoyed her company the afternoon he had spent with her and had attempted to se her again. She had been to busy with her duties as maid and she spent most of her free time with Lyle. For the past week he had seek to spend time with her but to his regret, she kept avoiding him. 

Mystery floated all around her for she did not quite speak of herself the afternoon they had been together. They had only appreciated each others company in silence. The only conversation they really had was when he had mentioned his worries for his sister, not her wound, for she was to recover nicely, but her mischievous ways, the energy and taste for adventure she bared. Lyla had listen quietly to his speech, smiling to him. He didn't understand why, but her presence soothed him. 

Even without saying a word, she had made him feel better about it all. They had taken a seat on a bench in the Royal gardens and as he gazed into the rich abyss that were her eyes, he had leaned towards her, wanting nothing but to relish her gentle, rosy lips. She had turned her head to the side, staring at the flowers next to her. He was astonished to see a woman refuse him and had immediately apologized for his rude manners. She had then looked up to him with smiling, comforting eyes and he had to refrain himself to not give the kiss another try. 

Now he understood better the mystery and her duties. She had been busy with Lyle all this week and it was only to protect the people of this world. Allen scolded himself. He had wished to see her all week, only to answer to his manly instincts and earthly desires. He wanted to be with her again and that was all he could think of. She on the other hand, was trying to save Gaea from destruction, she had no time for his attempts of seduction. She was one special woman, with a very special mission. Allen understood that clearly now.

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

Although the days were getting longer with every new rising of the sun, they all seemed too short for Van. Waiting for Celena to recover before leaving Fanelia had given him the time to better organize his leave. Almost a week had passed and the Fanelian King had been as busy as ever. A few days back, he had decided to built a shelter up in the mountains for his people if something should happen to Fanelia again. He had helped the workers transport the materials and supplies to the chosen site and had participated in some of the construction. His duties soon called him back to the Capital and he resigned in leaving his trusted workers continue without him. 

The King had been obliged to communicate personally with some of the worried countries that had recently heard the news. Van never had thought he would be the one trying to be optimistic and cheerful for others, but his royalty required him to do so and he succeeded in calming the other rulers down. Van wished he had had the time to see General Gushen and find out how the intensive training was doing but he just was to damn occupied!

The King walked steadily towards the lady Schezar's chambers in search of Allen. Almost thankful they had to wait for Celena to be well enough to travel, Van thought he had probably another week in front of him to be sure everything would be in place before leaving for Asturia and beginning his quest. Clutching to the piece of paper he had only received minutes ago, he arrived to Celena's doors and paused. He had been so busy, he had only first visited her the day before! He thought of his first encounter with Allen's sister.

__

"Enter." a low, almost annoyed, masculine voice answered from within Celena's chambers.

A grin crept to Van's sour lips before he turned the doorknob and came in. The room was bright, for it was the middle of the afternoon and a soothing aroma of lavender filled the air. Allen was sitting in a chair next to the bed and had been talking with his sister, who was comfortably sitting under the sheets. Van lost his grin when his eyes turned to her. Her beauty had been whispered through out the castle and he was a bit surprised at himself for agreeing with what he had heard. Her large, tender blue eyes were settled on him and he blushed, turning his gaze away. She had caught him staring and she knew it, for a small smile appeared on her gentle lips.

Allen welcomed the King as he got up to his feet. Van briefly smiled to him and brought his gaze back to her, approaching the bed.

King Van, I believe you have never met my sister, Lady Celena Schezar." Allen said, watching Van advance.

It was true, they had never formally met since the Dilandau episode.

Van surprised Celena, and himself, with the formality he adopted by bending on one knee and gently taking her soft hand in his gloved one, brushing his lips, not kissing, on the back of her hand. The King then looked up to see her soften look and smiled to her saying :

"Pleased to finally meet you Lady Celena."

Celena smiled back and took her hand from his and voiced the same thought.

They talked briefly about her recovery before Van requested Allen to follow him to his study for a discussion he needed to have with him. He was sure Allen hadn't said a word to Celena about the past events and didn't wish to bring it up in front of her without her brother's consent. Allen had apologized to Celena and had promised to return rapidly. Allen had nodded to her and turned to the doors. He heard her soft voice almost whispering to him:

"I hope to meet with you again your Highness…"

Van smiled but did not look back, and opened the doors letting Allen and himself out the room.

Van looked at the dark doors before him and sighed. How would Celena be today? Their previous meeting had felt awkward, but warm. With no further thought, he knocked on the door, expecting to hear Allen's annoyed voice answer and was perplexed to hear Celena's instead. 

Van walked in the room, breathing in Celena's pleasant essence. The guestroom she was staying in looked warm and cozy, she had had more than the time to have fresh flowers picked every day and she had asked for the doors to the balcony to be opened, letting the heated draft in. Van came closer to the bed, greeting her with a warm smile.

"Lady Celena, you look in even better shape than yesterday, how are you feeling?" he asked, taking a seat on the chair Allen always used, next to her.

"Fine, thank you King Van. I'm sure to be on my feet very soon, the healer said it will be only a matter of days now before I can have a walk." Celena answered with her own bright smile. 

She had hoped the King would come to see her again. She had been surprised to be so comfortable with him. As Dilandau, she hated the King she remembered. When he had came through the doors the day before, her apprehensions had lifted, and she even felt quite drawn to the hot-tempered boy. 

"I am pleased to see you recovering so quickly." Van stated, not daring to meet her eyes.

"Do not worry yourself with me, I need not to be protected, as my brother so deeply believes so." she added.

Van looked up, surprised at the remark.

"_Hitomi told me the exact same thing once, more than once…_" he thought. 

He looked into Celena's eyes and was mystified by them. He did not see the evil lurk, the one he had seen so many times in Dilandau's flaming eyes. No. In Celena's eyes he could only see warmth, pride, strength and…passion?

Van looked away, feeling irrelevant as he felt the color come to his cheeks. He looked back at once as he felt her small hand on his.

"I am sorry for what I have done in the past Lord Van, to your kingdom and to Gaea. I know I did not have much power to stop Dilandau and that there was not much I could do, but still, he represents part of me and I beg for your forgiveness" she pleaded, her eyes filled with grief and sorrow.

Van did not know what to say. He had known better than to blame the girl for actions she had no control over and didn't feel any anger or resentfulness towards her. He examined her attractive features. Her hair had been combed behind her ears and the once short mellow hair was now reaching her shoulders. Her eyes were deep with regret and her small lips were curved into a sad expression. She did _feel_ somewhat like Hitomi, and Van brought his other hand on hers.

"Please, Lady Celena, you have not to mourn the past. I have never thought of you as the one responsible for the tragedies that have occurred, you are welcome now, and will always be welcomed in my kingdom." he replied amicably.

"I wish for us to be friends your Highness." Celena smiled with relief. 

"We shall be, and please, call me Van, close friends don't use the title around me." "_Except for Merle, who can't let go of the Lord thing_" he thought to himself.

Celena genuinely smiled to him, showing off what Van suspected to be a very attractive smile to most men. He smiled back to her and showed off his own white teeth grin. 

"Have you seen your brother today?" he asked still smiling.

"No, he shouldn't be far though, he normally gets here sooner, I'm actually surprised his not here now!" Celena answered knitting her eyes together, pretending she was worried for Allen.

At that moment, a knock was heard on the door, and they both broke up in a loud laughter, knowing too well that Allen was probably the one on the other side. 

"Come in" Van responded, being the first to calm down.

Allen walked in and looked at Van and his sister with questioning eyes, he was amazed to see Van in such a good mood. Noticing Celena was trying not to laugh because of the pain it was bringing to her ribs, he immediately walked to her, putting both hands on each shoulder.

"Stop Celena, you're tiring yourself!" Allen commanded, which actually only made Celena laugh louder, the idea of Allen ordering her to just stop laughing making the situation even funnier. She shot a look at the Fanelian King who was just smiling to her, he too had seen her pained expression through her laughter. 

When the pain was intense enough, she was obliged to calm herself down, not wanting to reopen he wound. She gazed from one man to the other.

"I'm alright" she said giggling.

Both men sighed and looked at each other.

"I was looking for you Allen, I have received news from Asturia." Van said, taking the parchment he had put on the table while talking with Celena earlier and gave it to Allen.

Allen sighed and looked up to Van after reading the message. Celena noticed his blank expression and figured out he was trying to hide something from her. She was close enough to snatch the piece of paper and without hesitation did so. She brought the letter to her heart. Allen reached for it, frowning but stopped and requisitioned her to give it back to him.

"Sure, but I want to know what's going on first…" Celena replied, smiling brightly, hoping it would encourage her brother to do so. 

When she perceived his hard look on her, she turned to Van, sending him a silent plea with her eyes.

"Come on Allen, you'll be away for days, perhaps weeks, what were you going to tell her anyway to explain such a long absence?" Van retorted crossing his arms in front of his chest.

Celena furrowed her brows and looked back to Allen.

"You're leaving?" she asked, feeling upset to see him leave yet fortunate that she was going to finally spend some time alone.

Allen backed away from her and looked out the window, absentmindedly. When Allen gave no response, she looked down and read the message from her King and Queen. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

__

Fanelia,

When receiving you're message, the Queen and I agreed to do all that was in our power to help with your quest. 

By the, we order Sir Allen Schezar to participate in the searches of the Tomes with you. Know that he is at your service. 

Meanwhile, we shall try to find out more about the Tomes of Augury and their emplacements. 

May the gods be with you…

Dryden Fassa

Asturia

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Celena looked up confused.

"What is the meaning of this?" she asked Allen, then Van.

Understanding Allen was not going to try to prevent him from telling her, Van told Celena the events of the past week. Telling her of the Tomes, his part in the prophecies and the search they were about to begin. 

"But this was decided over a week ago! How come you haven't left yet?" she asked the King puzzled.

"This may be an important journey, but I still am King of a growing country, and I must prepare my leave so that none will suffer from their rulers absence…" Van replied.

Celena stared at her brother, he had moved to the window during Van's narration, and was now deeply lost in his thoughts as he gazed at the scenery before him.

"I want to go with you." Celena said firmly, trying to make it sound as a statement, not a request.

Allen's shoulders dropped and he closed his eyes.

"No." was his only answer.

"I was not asking Allen, I can be of help!" Celena replied, trying to stay calm.

"This is not a task for a Lady." Allen answered coldly, not opening his eyes.

"Oh! I'm sorry! I forgot the Knight had that code of honor thing and the duty to protect the weak… well I'm not weak!!" she almost shouted.

Van surprised himself as he compared her fiery temper to Hitomi's when she was angry with him.

Allen turned at the sound of her angry voice.

"There is no need yelling Celena." he stated, unaffected by her manner.

Celena crossed her arms together, and glanced a look at Van for help. He had convinced Allen to tell her their story, maybe he could do the same for convincing Allen to allow her along.

Van noticed this and smiled to her. 

"You're injured Celena." Van told her softly.

"I do not wish to see you get harmed again." the King added.

Celena's jaw dropped. She had not suspected the King would use her injured condition against her. She was also surprised to hear him say that HE didn't want to see her injured further.

"Fine." she pouted, looking down on the light turquoise covers of her bed.

Allen smiled to her and brought a hand to her face that she refused, turning her head the other way. Allen understood she was irritated with him and took his hand away from her before nodding to the King and leaving the room.

Van watched him leave and glanced back to Celena. She was gazing at the door her brother had closed behind him. She uncrossed her arms and lowered herself in the bed, bringing her head to the pillow. Van whispered her a good rest before rising from his chair and walking towards the doors himself. 

"Van?" he heard her winsome voice behind him.

He halted and looked back at the bed.

"Come see me tomorrow." she implored, gazing deeply into his eyes.

Van recognized a familiar loneliness in those eyes.

"I will."

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

The next days went on even faster. Van participated in the training of his new soldiers. Although he did not plan on using it, he organized Escaflowne to be moved into the Crusade. He made sure the construction of the shelters in the mountains were going well and helped Lyle and Lyla with their research for information about the castle and the secret underground passages. They had told him they believed that perhaps one of the Tomes was hidden within the castle, and that it could not have been burned when the castle had because it was protected with magic. Van didn't understand how one of the Tomes could be right there in the castle but helped the twins as much as he could, helping them discover passages even he did not know till then. 

Lyla had been liberated from her duties as a maid, her true identity being revealed. She was a Priestess of Elysium, with knowledge and mystical powers. Lyle was a Priest of Elysium as well, and thereby earned respect from all who encountered them. The Elysium clergy was known through out Gaea to be pacific and clement, interested in the ancient arts of sorcery, they hardly used their powers, living among themselves, apart from society. The few that did go and explore the world were immediately welcomed and invited to join in Royalty, acting as important and trusted advisors, like the two that were now living in Basram for the past forty years. 

Van also tried to see Celena as much as possible, their friendship growing with every visit. She had surprised him the day before when he had found her walking in the corridors of the castle, a hand on the wall for support. She smiled to him when he came closer, proud she was now strong enough to walk. He had put her arm over his shoulder and had helped her back to her room, tucking her slender body under the heavy covers of her bed. He was happy she was doing well, and had stayed to talk with her for hours.

Van was now looking over Fanelia through the large window of his study. It had been another nice, warm day and the sun was slowly descending for the night. Worry embraced his heart with its tight grasp but he tried to ignore it. He lifted his gaze to the Mystic Moon and was surprised to see that it seemed actually more hidden behind the other, the smaller moon was almost completely within the Mystic one's ring. Van frowned. He looked down and drew his sword. He stared at its prolonged blade. He had never figured out how it had came back to Gaea. He had attached it to a tree on the Mystic Moon and had left it there. When he had come up to his chambers for the first time after his _trip_, he had found it there, in it's usual place, sheath and belt, leaning on the wall next to his bed. 

He glanced at the Fanelian emblem and put his sword back in its sheath before gazing at the moons again.

"_Hitomi, I miss you. I want to see you again. Why do you not respond?_" Unconsciously, he brought his hand to his heart, searching for something that was no longer there.

"_The pendant, is it because I gave you back the pendant that my wishes wont reach you anymore?_" he thought some more.

"_What do the dreams mean? Why are you crying in pain? What's happening to you up there?_" Van concentrated on her, on her world, trying once more to reach her thoughts. She would not respond. He could not understand why she had pushed him away the way she had. It hurt like a thousand blades cutting through his heart. Nothing could hurt as much as hearing those words, which kept echoing in his mind for the past two weeks. With the dreams he was having every night since the fateful meeting with Hitomi, he was even more confused and wondered why it seemed to him that she actually did want him to stay. 

"_I'll see you again._" he thought.

"I'll see you again!" he declared out loud.

He then turned and headed for what would probably be one of his last council meetings before his departure. Since Celena could now stand, they had decided to leave for Asturia in three to four days. Van was now glad she wouldn't be part of the journey, He did not wish to see her harmed. He wanted to know she was safe. 

Walking towards the conference room, he heard swift, silent steps coming from behind him. His frowned features lit up a bit as he felt Merle's arm lock in his. 

"Lord Van! Where are you headed?" she asked, hoping to spend some time with him before the trip. She hadn't seen much of him lately and he had been sharing his little free time with the Lady Celena.

She hated to share him with her, but as long as it kept his mind off Hitomi, she would refrain her enviousness. She wanted him to be happy, and the past week and days had kept him so busy that she was almost glad she couldn't see him. It meant he had a lot on his mind. Too much to think of _her_. Merle never suspected she could be wrong. 

"To the council, they said we must meet, something urgent has come up…" Van replied, bringing his hand on the one she had put on his other arm. 

"Oh… then I guess I'll see you later right?" Merle replied, a little disappointed.

"I don't know Merle, depends on when this meeting will end." he replied disappointed too.

They arrived at the double doors to the conference room and Merle regretfully let go of his arm. He smiled down to her and entered the room, closing its large doors behind him. She gazed at the doors for a while before slowly turning and leaving the area.

Van looked at his council members, they all seemed very worried.

"So, What is going on this time?" Van inquired, casually taking his seat.

"A thought troubles us your Highness." Ronius stated.

"Which is?" Van demanded, looking around the table. His three advisors were present, his four Generals, Lyle, Lyla and Allen also.

"Shitarr and Kyara reside in the Basram kingdom. Shitarr was here as the Basram ambassador, which means he keeps close contact with its leader."

"Yes, and?" Van asked.

"The messenger we sent to Basram never came back…" Jaden replied.

"What!?" Van responded icily. 

"Basram probably does not know of the Tomes of Augury and Shitarr's plans. He and Kyara probably intercepted the messenger before he got to the King's court." Lyle stated.

"Basram has an incredible army. The new weapon they used during the Great War is an awesome explosive device that can easily devastate any Capital they wish to attack." added Allen.

"When Basram hear of the war preparations the other countries are silently undertaking, they will surely be upset and we have no way of communicating with the Basram King to letting him know what is going on…" Lyla said smoothly.

"Why are the other countries preparing for war?" demanded Van alarmed.

"Because we are." answered General Gushen.

"We have been heavily training our troops and the countries we have informed of the Tomes wish to be prepared if we fail to find the Tomes before Shitarr and Kyara do." added Jafyr.

Van closed his eyes and brought a hand to his head, massaging his temple with the pad of his fingers.

"Lyle, Lyla, can't you communicate with the King with your mind abilities?" Jaden inquired.

Lyla looked rapidly around the table, every soul held their breaths, hoping the solution could be that easy.

"Unfortunately, Shitarr and Kyara have created a mind barrier around the Basram kingdom. There is no way of breaching it." she responded sadly, setting her gaze on Allen's.

"My fears of war might cause one, how ironic." Van thought aloud.

"Your Majesty, no one will declare war on no one. It is only precautions we are taking. We simply apprehend the moment when Basram learns of this… how will they react?" one of the Generals inquired.

"We must send new messengers to every country, warn them of Basram's possible threat, telling them not to worry for a battle to come. They must participate in the search for the Tomes instead of preparing war. War against Draconians, if they are revived, might not be a war of armed conflict…" Van ordered.

"Rather a war of the wills." Lyla whispered. Looking at the Fanelian King. He was wise, yet so young. He had learned from his past experience in war.

The meeting was soon adjourned and they all got up from their seats and walked out the conference room. Allen saw Van leave towards the Royal gardens and the Generals head for the training barracks. The four members of the council left for the council room, probably to have the messages sent through out Gaea. He spotted Lyla, walking in the opposite direction in the main hallway and walked up to her.

"Lyla?" he implored, causing her to slower her paste in order to let him get to her level.

She kept on walking silently, not bothering to lift her gaze to his. As he walked soundlessly beside her, he admired her features once more. She was not wearing the maid uniform anymore but what would be her Priestess clothing. She was now wearing a pale sandy and blue dress with sleeves that reached her elbows. The gown was elegant yet simple and it flew around her lightly and enhanced her natural beauty. Although it didn't look like it when she was standing still, her skirt was opened in the front and when she walked, showed the pale tights that she wore underneath to hide her slender legs. Her long skirt reached her ankles and she wore high boots. 

When he wouldn't say anything, she stopped and finally lifted her gaze to his. She was baffled with what she saw in his eyes. She searched his mind and didn't find any of the upsetting, wondering desires she had sensed from him during the past week. Nothing of the flirty playboy she had felt was left. He seemed genuinely interested in her and this new warmth appealed to her.

"Sir Allen," she began.

"Allen" he cut her off immediately.

"Sir Allen," she repeated, emphasizing on the Sir. "Does what you have do say concern our mission?" she inquired.

Allen was taken aback by her irritated expression but kept his look on her and smiled in an effort to have her smile back. Lyla willed herself to stay composed and awaited his answer, examining his regard, obviously trying to see through his thoughts.

"Priestess, I believe you know what I wish to tell you, and if you really want me to, I will gladly phrase the certitude that coats every single thought I have about you…"

Lyla's eyes widened and she started walking again. Allen smiled to this and followed her. His feelings had grown during the last weeks and he didn't only feel physical attraction towards her anymore. He had first taken her for a simple chambermaid with who he could have some fun. But after spending time with her and knowing her better, his craving for her had taken a twist, and as he suspected, she had traveled through his mind like an open book and was now fearful of what could happen between them.

"Sir Allen, I do not believe this is the place nor the time…" she answered him lightly.

Allen gently, but firmly gripped her arm and brought her close to him, she languished as she felt his spicy breath next to her ear. Shivers traveled from her spine down to her womanhood and down her legs to her toes. She was attracted to him. But she had been disappointed to see two weeks earlier that he only wanted from her what all the others had wanted. But now, she felt something else, she sensed desire in him, but something stronger was igniting it. This was new to her and did not know how to react. It was taking her by surprise and it surprised her even more that with her psychic powers, she hadn't seen it coming.

Allen took the time to breathe her in, her fragrance was intoxicating and he couldn't associated it with anything on Gaea. A mixture of the sea air and flowers and evening breeze. He would have to let her go before it was to late.

"If this is not the time, Priestess, I can wait. Besides, I won't be too far."

She quivered some more with his words and was thankful when he let her go. She tried to avoid his glare but he brought his hand to her chin and forced her to look up. She saw tenderness in his eyes and satisfaction for the effect he had on her. She silently cursed and moved away from him. She shakily began to walk again and Allen let her leave, smiling as he remembered her scent. 

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

Van needed to think things over. He had not visited his parents grave since the day before the celebrations and he desperately needed to meditate over the many events of the past weeks. He was tired, even if he was getting a little more sleep than when he had come back from the Mystic Moon, and his thoughts and emotions had leveled to a critical edge. He felt his nerves and muscles were tensed and he decided he would spar in the moonlight for practice after his meditation. Walking through the exotic gardens, he took the time to inhale the perfume of the many flowers. The sky was painted with pastel colors of rose and orange as the sun was now hidden behind the mountain. The evening buoyant had a glimmering effect on the coloration of the flowers and leaves around him. They almost glowed in the dim grounds. He slowly reached the lagoon and closed his eyes as he breathed in its aromatized draft.

"Hello Van" 

Van quickly opened his eyes. He did not expect to see anyone in the gardens and smiled to the young woman sitting on one of the benches surrounding the lagoon. Her long white robe seemed to glitter and her shoulder length silver blond hair as well. She was smiling sweetly to him and nodded him to come foreword, gently tapping the place next to her on the bench.

Van complied and sat next to her.

"Did you come all the way down here on your own? Your brother is going to have a fit!" he said softly, teasingly.

Her laughter filled the evening air and Van thought it was one of the nicest thing he had heard in a long time.

"Thinking of Allen having a fit is quite amusing. Nice to see you have a sense of humor, something else to add on my _What I like best about Van_ list." she answered softly.

Van grinned and stared at his boots. 

"What are you thinking?" Celena asked him gently, after a few minutes of silence.

Van looked up to her and gazed in her sapphires orbs. She was smiling softly to him, with a look of understanding and caring. She brought her hand up and hesitated before gently caressing the rough skin of his jaw line. Van stiffened to the feel but did not stop her. He closed his eyes to the soft touch and savored the moment as for once, no worries mingled with his mind. 

He felt her moving close to him and gasped at the feel of her tender lips on his. He opened his eyes in shock and looked at her closed ones and resplendent features. He did not back away and couldn't understand why. His eyes dropped as the kiss deepened and cherished the new sensations he was feeling. All to soon the kiss ended and Celena ruefully backed away. She searched his gaze intensely, trying to demystify his expression. Van looked at her in awe, and quickly got up to his feet. Now he definitely needed to meditate over his parents grave! 

He smiled briefly to her and left towards the forbidden area of the gardens, leaving Celena to her thoughts. 

"_Gods what have I done?!_" she thought, covering her face with her hands. "_What will he think of me now?_" she immediately asked herself, thinking of another.

She didn't think she was attracted to Van, but seeing his lost gaze, his longing for affection, she just couldn't ignore the loneliness that was radiating from his soul. Celena was not certain of her feelings towards the Fanelian King, but she was sure she didn't want to lose his friendship. He had hardly talked about himself when they saw each other, avoiding the subject of his sadness. She knew it had something to do with the Mystic Moon girl her brother had talked about. She so wanted to help him, she hadn't plan on kissing him, it just… happened. She brought her fingers to her lips, still feeling the heaviness of his lips over hers. She smiled sadly.

"_My first kiss…_"

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

Shitarr and Kyara walked slowly towards the courtroom. Since Shitarr's return from Fanelia, three weeks had past. They had planned out well what they were going to say, and what magic they were going to use on the King. The King trusted them with their recommendations. When they had first come to Basram, they had _disposed_ of his High Priest and Priestess and had easily replaced them. By blowing an illusion spell over the castle, Shitarr and Kyara appeared to be the usual and former advisors of the King to all who lived there and had known the two pastors. It had been too easy. They had chosen this country because their King had only two advisors. And Basram's technology was by far the greatest compared to the other countries. If they ever needed fire power, they had the best. 

They entered the courtroom and smiled warmly at the King sitting on his throne. He watched the two elderly forms approaching him and smiled back. 

"How are you my friends…" the King asked, bringing one hand up for them to kiss. He was a big man, not very tall and it made him look chubbier than her really was. His large cape enveloped most of his body and his metal helmet descended to his neck, giving the impression he had no neck at all.

When the old, grey hair priestess kissed his Majesty's hand, he shuddered. But gave no thought about it, believing it was only a draft from one of the opened windows. Kyara smiled to this, the spell was cast. He would never doubt what they were about to tell him.

"My Lord" Shitarr began, gazing at the man sitting in front of him. The King was not looking in his eyes but rather at his chest, which was normal, for the Priest Shitarr was impersonating had been rather short, and the image he projected to the King was the image of that very Priest. The King and his subjects had no way of knowing their beloved advisors had been replaced.

"You look preoccupied old man, what must you tell me that is such a weight on you're shoulders?" the King asked.

"Your Highness, I fear I have terrible news for you, it concerns Fanelia…" Shitarr said slowly.

"Dear Gods! Is anything wrong with the young Fanelian King?!" The Basram King inquired, worried. 

"No. In fact, he is doing quite well… But he has made disturbing statements while I was there three weeks ago, statements I can no longer ignore." Shitarr pursued.

The expression on the King's face was of relief at the mention of the Fanelian King being fine then worried again.

"What do you mean? Please, continue Priest." he urged.

"During the evening meal, and the ball afterwards, he started a discussion concerning Basram, that it's military force might represent a danger for the other countries…" Shitarr slyly answered.

"What?!" the King exclaimed in surprise.

"What is the meaning of this??" he added.

"Fanelia and some other countries suggested stopping Basram's from rising in glory before it becomes to powerful to control…"

The Kings gaze moved from Shitarr to Kyara.

"What? How dare they plot against me in my absence! After what we did for them during the Great War! How can they so easily forget??" The king then looked down at Shitarr and demanded:

"It's almost been three weeks since the Fanelian Festivities! Why have you not said a word before?"

Kyara harden her look as she concentrated on the spell she had cast moments ago, intensifying its power.

"Because of your illness, and because I hoped I was mistaken. But recently, I have sensed Fanelia gathering it's forces with those of the neighboring countries, obviously conspiring something… I had to make sure of the information before we advised you my Lord…" Shitarr answered, bowing.

The King started shaking. Anger, hurt and questions filled his heart. His people had joined the Fanelian King in his battles against Zaibach. He had willingly given him all the power he had in order to help him save Gaea… and this was his thanks?

"_That little inexperienced brat of a King!_" he thought to himself. This made Shitarr and Kyara smile inwardly, sensing the conflict in the Basram King's head. 

"Well, we have not a moment to loose! I shall have prepare our troops, We will send a message to the Fanelian King, ordering his submission. He has one last chance of saving his country, then we attack! We'll show them it's already too late to control Basram!!"

Shitarr and Kyara sighed with satisfaction as the King stepped down from his throne, and started to yell at the Guards standing at the courtroom doors. They did not hear what he was saying, occupied with their heated mind discussion.

"_Wasn't that easy?"_ thought Kyara.

"_Quite indeed!_" thought Shitarr back.

"_There's no stopping our plans now! The prophecies have started and won't be stopped until the rebirth of Atlantis in theses soils._" Thought Kyara.

"_Have I already said that it is always, only a matter of time?_" Shitarr asked, holding back a maniacal laughter.

Kyara smiled to him and turned her head to the King as he approached them.

"In case of a confrontation I will send Gewel Kianty to lead the special troops. He has a promising future with the Basram army." he said more softly to the advisors.

Kyara and Shitarr gave each other a knowing glance and replied together. 

"His Majesty knows best…" they said, bowing.

They watched silently as a young man entered the courtroom and kneeled in front of the Basram King.

"Greetings, My Lord, I pledge my loyalty to Basram's ascension and place my life in your hands." the soldier prayed hoarsely.

"Rise son, listen to what we have to say." the King told him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Gewel rose to his feet and glanced to the two advisors. They both looked at him with a smirk on their lips but stayed quiet. Gewel was a young lad with a sense of calculation and determination. He wasn't very tall, but didn't need to be as his sword fighting technique was excellent and he had proved to be a fantastic Guymelef pilot. He wore a black bodysuit. With loose pants and reddish-brown vest. He wore a metal armor covering his chest, arms and legs. His long keen blade was sheathed on his left hip. His pale brown hair was messy and his eyes a mystifying blue-grey. He grabbed the scroll his King had thrown to him with his light brown-gloved hand. He quickly glanced to his King before unfolding the map of Gaea and laying it out on the stoned table in the middle of the room. 

"This is Fanelia, Asturia, Freid, Ezgardia, Deadalus, Cesario." the king sullenly said, pointing at every country as he spoke their names.

"They are preparing an attack against our empire. I will have the Captains form barriers around Basram for protection against the invaders, but I need someone I trust to remove the object of this confrontation, the head of this nonsense treachery. Van Fanel of Fanelia." the king added.

"The dragon…" Gewel whispered.

"I want you to choose your men and eliminate Fanel." the king ordered.

Gewel lifted his gaze from the map and brought his right fist to his heart.

"I, Gewel Kianty will rid you of the nuisance that suppresses our kingdom." he joined his feet and knocked his heals together before saluting and leaving the room.

The king did not hear his last words as he exited through the large doors.

"The Dragons slayers shall resurrect. And this time, will not fail their mission!"

Gewel sneered crudely.

__

Author's note : Gewel is pronounced Jewel

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

__

If you have any comments , or if you wish to join the official mailing list,

please write to : celenashezar@hotmail.com

AIM : Celenasan

MSN : celena


	8. Teaser

Another Vision of Escaflowne

Disclaimer: _Usual disclaimers apply regarding Tenkuu no Escaflowne. The following is an Original Escaflowne fanfiction / fanart. The story, new characters and events are our own creation. Any resemblance with any other fanwork is purely coincidental. _

Author : Celena

Editor: Bellsandy

Illustrator: Bellsandy

****

~~ Delight in the Experience : http://bellsandi.tripod.com/AVE/index.html_ **~~**_

**__**

~~ Immerse yourself in the Experience : here **~~**

:::: Author's note ::::

Hello people! This is where the teaser for the next chapter used to be… Now, I did not realize that by replacing the teaser with the actual content of the chapter, most of you would not be able to review the real chapter. Thanks to the ones who pointed that out to me. 

So I have posted chapter 8 in 9, and I cannot seem to find the teaser I put up here. Although I do not think the ones who are just lately discovering this fic would have actually read it… I would have suggested they skip right along anyway…

Have a good read!

:::: Celena ::::

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

__

Please send your comments , or/and if you wish to join the official mailing list,

write to : celenashezar@hotmail.com

AIM : Celenasan

MSN : celena


	9. Revelations

Another Vision of Escaflowne

Disclaimer: _Usual disclaimers apply regarding Tenkuu no Escaflowne. The following is an Original Escaflowne fanfiction / fanart. The story, new characters and events are our own creation. Any resemblance with any other fanwork is purely coincidental. _

Author : Celena

Editor: Bellsandy

Illustrator: Bellsandy

****

~~ Delight in the Experience : http://bellsandi.tripod.com/AVE/index.html_ **~~**_

**__**

~~ Immerse yourself in the Experience : here **~~**

:::: Author's note ::::

P-A, DanceGoddess, Ash, KetaSama… and all of you out there, Thank you. This is a thrilling experience and I very much enjoy writing this Saga.

Well, this is it. The quest for the Tomes begin. Hitomi is summoning Van… will he find her?

Please note that the 5 new main characters' pictures and info can be found at the link mentioned above. There is one illustration within chapter 7 posted at that link, and there will soon be one in chapter 8. But I request your aid in this matter. Looks like BellSandy has a hard time choosing from the many scenes of this chapter… Will you be so kind and email me to vote for the scene you wish to see? Let us see if we can not be of some assistance to this wonderful artist…

:::: Celena ::::

****

Episode VIII

Revelations

The day of the journey had finally arrived. Celena was slowly walking in the courtyard, heading for the airships docking area. She was casually leaning on a fancy wooden carved cane, which the Royal Healer had obliged her to take along.

"_It will at least show others you are injured, and prevent any further accidents_" he had told her, comprehending she was not very delighted to resort to it.

She was wearing her usual Asturian wardrobe, a long, sleeveless, soft rosy gown with white and blue laces in the back. She had put on long gloves that reached her elbows, and were the same blue as the laces of her dress. Over her gown, she wore a dark crimson cape to protect her from the morning breeze. Which she thought was absolutely pointless, since the air in Fanelia was now warm and summery. She looked up to the crystal blueness of the sky and sighed. The contrast with the lush green of the Fanelian forest was astounding; the two shades of color honoring each other with glory as their gentle radiance seemed to gleam over the land. She was not accustomed to such scenery. Where she came from, the blue sky met the blue sea… She took in a deep breath and savored the perfumed, humid air. It was very different from Palace's fragrance. She enjoyed the variance and smiled.

Celena gazed around. The courtyard was almost empty, only a few samurais were talking aside the castle and two Guymelefs seemed to be patrolling the area near the castle's gates. She soon reached the landing platform. It wasn't very large for most Fanelians did not make use of leviships and the King himself only had a very modest one. It still could welcome three or four airships at a time and larger grounds, outside the castle's gates, were used as harbor for extra airships and Guymelefs.

She hopped gently down the few steps to the docking area, glad to see her wound didn't discomfort her as much as it did days before. Viewing her brother's familiar leviship, she strolled past some of the Crusade's crewmembers who whistled teasingly to her. She smiled to them, knowing the uncouth looking goons had good hearts and were loyal to her brother and their country.

"You want help to get on Lady Celena?" asked the largest among them, gazing at the cane she was holding.

"No, it's okay, Kio. This thing is just for hitting on you guys if you ever get too soft on me!" she replied, shooing him away with her cane.

The crewmembers who witnessed this burst into a raw laughter and watched the 6'6" huge man being driven away by the delicate Schezar female.

Celena boarded the ship and headed for her quarters. The Crusade had almost been completely rebuilt after the Great War, having been severely damaged during the last battle. She knew the area she was staying in was entirely new and the soft wooden walls still smelled of the essence of the outdoors. She reached her room and took off her cloak. She looked through the small porthole and saw her brother inspecting the ship. Her heart made a flip-flop when she saw the man standing next to him. She gazed at them for a moment, her heart beating at the thought of speaking with him again. He was very handsome, and she didn't know of his feelings for her, but he had always been very kind and considerate toward her. She hoped nothing had changed.

She turned and left the small room, she walked through the small corridor and headed outside. She met up with Allen, who was now about to enter the ship, alone. Celena glanced around, frowning as she understood her brother was not with company anymore. 

"Celena! How are you? Are you ready to leave?" Allen smiled to her and she could not ignore his charm. She had wanted to stay angry as long as possible with him after he had refused her aid in the quest for the Tomes. But had miserably failed. She looked down to her elegant brother who was still standing on the ground, waiting for her to exit the passageway to enter the airship.

"I am feeling strong, dear brother, I am ready to leave when you are." she replied kindly, smiling to him.

"It won't be long, don't go too far…" Allen warned her, entering the vessel now that she had hopped down.

"I won't, do not worry…" she answered absentmindedly. She started walking around the Crusade, wondering where _he_ had left to… She ignored the crewmembers as they watched her search for him, wondering what the Schezar beauty was looking for. She strolled with gracefulness, despite her injury and the fact she had left the cane on her bed.

Her heart tightened when she got to the back of the airship. The large hatch to the storage area was wide open. Through it she could see Scherazade had been repaired and was kneeling next to the far wall. What really took her breath away was the sight of the Ispano Guymelef. Its prominence washing over her as memories surged in her mind, recollections of battling with all her might, all her hatred and anger with the glorious armor. The sentiments overwhelmed her and she leaned against the ship as the giant's stare seemed to defiantly mock her. She could not hear the crewmembers laughter and exclamations. She was surrounded in blankness.

Escaflowne was looking over her, from the middle of the loading bay, its shining alloy well rested on an overlarge dais. It actually looked like the lord of the place and sickness came to her when remembering the loathing and revulsion she had once felt so deeply towards the dragon resting before her. 

She fell to her knees and brought a hand to her throat, certain she was about to be ill as the nausea enveloped her in self-denial. She closed her eyes and put her other hand to the ground for stability. As darkness was slowly encircling her, she felt strong arms envelop her and she was soon embraced in warmth. She smiled at the familiar scent, thanking the Gods it was not her brother that had found her in such a piteous state. She gathered her strength and opened her eyes to meet his. She wanted to show him she was all right, that he did not need to fret with her reaction towards his Guymelef. Saddened that this was the first time they confronted each other since the evening at the lagoon, she realized she wouldn't have the capability to say what she had promised herself to clear up as soon as she would see him again. She gazed into his worried eyes.

"It's alright, Van." she murmured, faintly smiling before losing consciousness.

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

"No!"

It was more a command than an answer and Merle frowned.

"Lord Van, please!! I want to come! Please take me with you!" she begged.

The Fanelian King was leaving today and he had wanted to take the time to bid her farewell properly. Taking some time alone with her was the best way of manifesting his affection. They had mounted their beasts and had left riding early in the morning, to watch the sunrise from the valley. The trip had been a silent one, for she was not sure of the right way of presenting her wish, knowing the young King would refuse her.

They had watched the pink, then orange, then yellow sun ascend in the horizon, the dark purple sky becoming buoyant with softer shades of colors. She had locked her arm in his and had rested her head to his shoulder, savoring his closeness. He had sighed heavily, reaching yet again for something under his shirt, but his hand met fabric, nothing else.

"Lord Van..." she had whispered to herself, wondering if he would ever get over the Mystic Moon girl's departure.

They had then mounted once more their horse-like animals and were now riding slowly towards the Capital. She had kept silent and Van knew this was suspicious. He also understood she was very dispirited to see him leave. He had so wanted to cheer her up. When the question was asked, his answer had been harsher than intended, but he remained firm in his decision. He did not wish to have her harmed or in his way. Knowing her in the castle's safety was more essential to him than the joy of her company on his long journey.

"Merle, I do not wish for you to get hurt..." he replied more smoothly.

"I wont! I'll stay out of the way Lord Van. I won't be a bother I promise!" she answered with a hopeful gleam in her eyes.

"I'm sorry Merle, but the answer is no." he said, closing his eyes.

He did not understand what she had said afterwards, anger coloring her words and the hooves of her mount completely covering her voice as she dashed as fast as she could in front of him. He let her go, knowing better than trying to hold back an angry kitten. He looked up to the moons and sighed once more.

"Hitomi, give me strength…" he implored softly.

He then gave a swift kick on each side of his mount with his heels, increasing the animal's pace to a quick trot.

Van felt the wind glide through his untamed coal hair. The morning air was refreshing and aromatized with the scent of the trees and the wilderness. He breathed in as much as he could and only stopped when he felt his lungs were about to burst. He looked up the bluish sky. Dazed with the twin moons, he grunted in frustration as flashes of Hitomi and Celena shuffled in his head. The two seemed to be smiling, then laughing at him. Celena was pointing at him and covering her mouth as Hitomi's features saddened as she looked away.

"_Hitomi… please…_" he thought, seeing her run away from him.

"Hitomi I'm sorry!" he yelled to the wind as he pushed the beast under him even harder.

When Van arrived at the stables, Merle was not waiting for him. He sighed heavily. He wished for Merle's support and was very annoyed with her reaction. He was concerned for her safety! She should be pleased! He did not have the time or the interest to play her little silly games. He frowned and headed for the airships docking area. Allen would be there, making the final preparations for the journey. He would look things over with him and leave. Whether he saw Merle before he left or not.

As Van neared the Crusade, the loud laughter and voices of Allen's men reached his ears and he smiled at the familiar sound. Those dogs would lighten his mood. When he got closer to them, they got to their feet ad welcomed him. Not as a King would expect to be curtsied, but still, showing more respect then they usually did. Van understood they had trouble picturing him as a sovereign; he was so young and had lived so many adventures with them, who could blame them?

"Your Highness, good to see you again.." said the little one with the red bandana Van remembered to be Reeden. The others exclaimed their merriment and greeted him with pranks and taps on his shoulder. Van wasn't sure if he had detected a note of mockery in their comments but was still glad they accepted him fully as one of their own. He was even a little surprised at his good reaction to their comments. He would have never tolerated such behavior in his presence before Hitomi…

Van left the men to their discussions and headed for the Crusade's loading bay, wanting to make sure Escaflowne was settled and ready to go. When he arrived behind the airship, his blood froze in his veins. The sight in front of him awakened a fear he had learned to ignore.

Dilandau.

The silver hair boy was standing still, as in a deep trance, gazing at the armor sitting in the middle of the loading bay. He brought an arm to the side of the ship for, what seemed to Van, support. He then collapsed to the ground, bringing a hand to his throat. Only then did Van realize, considering the curves on the boy's body, that it was not Dilandau, but Celena. But she was different, her hair was lighter and she bared a scar on her right cheek.

He hurried to her side and got to his knees. Yes, it was Celena. Fragile, warm. He took her in his arms and stared at the wound on her cheek. It was not as long and deep as Dilandau's was, but it was there. A reminder of who she had been. Who she was. Van's eyebrows knitted together as he felt her struggling to open her eyes. When she did, he saw the shame in them and scolded himself for having doubted her.

"It's alright, Van." she murmured, faintly smiling before losing consciousness.

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

Allen observed his white owl come soaring from the Fanelian forest and land on the Crusade's high watch post. He grinned to this. The bird always knew when the time to leave was near. When arriving in Fanelia, it had immediately left to explore the woods and was now returning to be part of the adventure. He marveled at his pet's fidelity and whistled to it, inviting it down. The owl obeyed right away and glided towards him on the solid ground, softly landing on the knight's extended arm, flapping its wings to moderate its descent.

Allen brought his other arm up and carefully stroked Natal's head with his gloved hand.

"What a splendid creature" said a delicate voice behind him.

Allen turned and his cerulean eyes met lavish purple ones.

"Priestess," he greeted, bowing and taking her hand in his for a kiss, causing the great bird to spread its wings and fly to a more stable post. Lyla's eyes followed the animal, nervously attempting to ignore Allen's warm touch.

"So you and the Advisor will be joining us after all?" Allen inquired, lifting his gaze to hers.

"Indeed, we seem not able to find the Tome that is said to be hidden within the castle's walls…" she replied, taking her hand from his.

"Who exactly said one of the Tomes was even here?" Allen wondered out loud.

"This question I can not answer. You must trust me with that information." she told him softly.

"I trust you…" he murmured, but knew she could hear.

"ALLEN!" screamed a young yet commanding voice from the other end of the airship.

Allen reacted to the King's alarmed voice as if a jolt of electricity had gone through him. He softly urged Lyla aside and ran towards the scream at the back of the Crusade. He heard his men's footsteps behind him and halted abruptly when he saw his sister's unconscious form in Van's arms.

The King was walking towards him, a deep frown on his face. He met Allen's eyes and looked down to Celena. Allen followed his gaze and gasped. It looked like Dilandau, but it was not him. He rushed to Van and took Celena from his arms. At the change of warmth Celena stirred. She slowly opened her eyes and met ones filled with love and concern. Tears of embarrassment came to her eyes.

"Brother, I am so sorry…" she whispered gently to him.

"Hush…" he replied, bringing her close and burying his face in her hair. Relief washed over him to see she was alright.

"I can stand." she told him, trying to retreat from his comforting embrace.

He reluctantly put her on her feet, but held her close to him for support. The crewmembers were now all around them, Van in the middle of the crowd. They were all silent, trying to understand how she had gotten that scar and why her hair seemed a lighter blond then before. She smiled to them, even while feeling the deep blush coming over her cheeks.

"Now what are you all staring at?" she asked trying to seem as detached as possible. "Go on, get doing what you scumbags usually do!" she ordered them, being more firm and sure of herself.

"Okay guys, you heard the Lady. Don't want her getting that stick of hers and hitting on us do we?" said a persuasive, masculine voice coming from behind the assembled crewmembers.

Celena's heart froze at the sound of his voice. He was there! He knew about her cane? Had he witnessed this? She blushed some more when the group turned to the Fanelian King who, himself, turned to see who had ordered the crew to scatter.

The tall man was wearing his long brown boots, his gray pants and long sleeved white shirt. He had on his green vest with armor plate on his heart. He had his trusted sword on his left hip and had his arms crossed over his chest as he scolded his men.

"Ah Sarge! We just wanted to make sure Lady Celena was okay…" the second largest man known as Pyle muttered.

"Good. Now you know she is, so get your ugly faces out of her view!" the second in command ordered, smiling widely. 

The crew obeyed his order and walked away in silence. As he came closer, Celena melted under his smiling expression. He was looking from Allen to her with questioning eyes. Relieved to see he did not know what had happened, she smiled back to him and looked up to her brother with pleading eyes, imploring him not to tell.

"Lady Celena…" Gadeth greeted, taking her delicate hand in his and brushing it with his lips. "Is everything alright? What happened?" he then inquired, looking up to meet her gaze and turning to Allen for answers.

Allen sighed and smiled reassuringly to his kin. He did not understand her distress, he had been certain she had a nice relationship with the Sergeant and wondered why she did not want him to know.

"It's okay, Gadeth. Go see our men and tell them we are leaving. There is no reason to stay any longer." Allen replied simply, avoiding the questions.

Gadeth gave a suspicious glance to Celena before shrugging and leaving in the opposite direction.

"King Fanel!" he simply greeted, as he passed by the King, who was standing next to Lyla. Van nodded to him and looked back to Allen and Celena. The last seemed very tense and Van fought the urge to smile condescendingly to her, knowing too well the burden it was to hide a part of what you are…

Lyla walked up to the pair and put her arms around Celena, glancing at Allen for his approval. He let his sister go and watched the two women walk slowly towards the front of the airship. Celena avoided Van's stare and silently gave thanks to Lyla for her help. Both men watched them leave in silence. Only once Celena was in the Crusade did Allen sigh heavily.

"What happened Van?" he finally asked.

"I'm not sure, I found her staring at Escaflowne, and I think it might have triggered this…" Van replied emotionlessly.

"Why? Why Escaflowne and not you?" Allen asked.

"I don't know. She had been programmed to hate me, but most of the time we fought in our armors…"

"You think seeing the armor did this to her? Did you see the scar?" Allen questioned.

Van grunted. It was HE who had inflicted that wound. It was much more discreet now, but it still was there! On Celena's soft figure. He cursed himself and hoped the scar could disappear. But something told him it was there to stay.

"Well, probably. I mean, it's as if Dilandau had resurfaced for a brief moment, long enough to leave a trace of his passage…" Van replied ruefully.

Allen's shoulders drooped for an instant and he then held himself tall again. Van identified his friend's unaffected mask and shrugged himself. There was nothing either could do.

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

As the crewmembers boarded the leviship, Van greeted Lyle who had just arrived on the docking area. He noticed the uneasy expression on his advisor's face and took him aside to find out what he had to tell him.

"We just received a missive from Basram" Lyle told Van, quickly unfolding a parchment and handing it to him.

"What is the meaning of this?" Van inquired after reading the message, anger rising his voice a notch. "They are declaring war on Fanelia??"

"It's a warning, Sire. A very serious warning…" Lyle answered smoothly. "They know nothing of our quest, so all they see is various countries preparing for a possible confrontation…"

"I'm going to Basram." Van announced, folding back the paper and heading back towards the castle.

"You mustn't!" Lyle exclaimed from behind, following the King closely.

"And why not? I am the King of this country! I will not endanger its people because of some dull misunderstanding with another sovereign!"

"It could be a trap!" Lyle warned him.

"I don't care! I refuse to let another war break out!" Van retorted abruptly as he whirled around to face his advisor, his eyes flaming with anger.

Lyle did not back away and held his ground. "You cannot go. If you leave, Shitarr and Kyara will surely hold you captive and use you for the ceremony of redemption! Nothing will save Fanelia if that happens!" Lyle added coolly.

Van kept silent and sealed his hands into tight fists. Closing his eyes, he pondered what he was to do.

"There is nothing honorable or useful about hastily rushing into Basram's grip, Lord Van. There are other ways." Lyle added calmly.

The Fanelian King opened his eyes and looked up to meet Lyle's gaze. "What do you suggest?" he asked more softly, still grinding his teeth.

"Send another missive. A White Messenger of peace. Explain the Quest to the King. Surely he awaits your reaction to his message. Perhaps Shitarr and Kyara won't take the risk in stopping the missive from getting to the King. He would definitely suspect something if he did not hear from you. Shitarr and Kyara probably need to use him in the future, so they might let the messenger through…"

"And if they don't?" the King asked sullenly.

"We'll see to it then…" Lyle replied, focusing on the most important thing to his eyes, keeping the Fanelian King as far away as possible from Shitarr and Kyara.

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

The young, newly high-ranked soldier was leaning against the wall of the Basram Royal training arena, supervising the many men training with different types of blades, whips, bows, arrows and staffs. He had watched the men practice all morning and the few that had caught his eye had proven to be disappointing when challenged by him. Of course, he was much more skilled then they, and he had to keep that in mind when evaluating them. One new member of the Basram military was now captivating his senses. A woman! In the army! She didn't even seem older then he did! Short sandy hair, looked like a boy really. Her sword technique was more then acceptable! She had fought off all of the huge morons who had had the stupid idea to jeer at her. She added feminine grace to her movements, which compensated for her lacking in strength.

He sneered at the soldiers who cowered away after a few strikes, not even man enough to finish off the combat they had initiated. He laughed even harder at the ones who did and got the shit beaten out of them. When she was finally done with the last who had challenged her, he followed her to the canteen, several decks away. He approached her silently from behind, she was drinking water in the front of the huge room. She gripped her long dull blade with her right hand as she swallowed the chilled liquid. Her chest and shoulders were heaving up and down with every breath she took. Gewel slowly, silently unsheathed his own shining blade and halted only at an arm's length behind her. He brought his sword up as she put the empty glass down on the table and waited for her to turn before attacking. He was now going to find out just how good she was.

The girl surprised him as she whirled around and he had to block a powerful blow directed for his neck. Face to face she glared at him with her Cimmerian eyes and Gewel was surprised to see no pupil. Only large dark orbs.

"What do you want?" the girl hissed, eyeing his black and white crest, understanding his rank.

"To play a little game." Gewel answered smirking, impressed with the force she pushed her blade against his, inches away from him.

"I'll show you my game!" she shouted, taking a step back and bringing her sword to his side, forcing Gewel to lower his for protection, blocking her second move. Gewel smiled inwardly as many other precise hits came, each with grace and swiftness. He blocked each with ease, but knew most would not have.

He watched her hardened, concentrated expression. She did not seem to be giving all she had. Was it because of who he was? He had noticed the way she had glanced to his chest, and spotted the gold-rimmed emblem of the Basram High Commanders. Well if she wasn't trying now, she was about to. He swiftly blocked her attack to his right and pushed her hard with his own sword, sending her to the ground. He read the surprise in her eyes, but a second later it was gone. She leaped into the air, back-flipped and landed on one of the many stone tables. The canteen was very large, able to feed at least two hundred men at a time. Several stone tables had been placed in two rows. A long passageway between them allowed the soldiers to circulate from the entrance of the canteen to the front, where the food was served. 

Gewel joined her and jumped on the table next to the one she was on. He attacked her with intensity and vaulted into the air, approaching her. He was satisfied to see she wouldn't dodge his blow. She was holding her ground and actually sprinting toward him, her blade pointing in his direction. The sharp edged metals collided together with energy and bluish sparks flew to the ground. They continued on for several minutes, Gewel detecting the technique she was using and the way she mastered it. The Commander jumped to the next table and felt her presence close behind him. He calculated his move and dodged her coming blow and sent his own hard strike down upon her. She greeted his hit with her sword and then jumped high in the air, knowing several repeated strikes would give him the advantage. Gewel watched her gracious almost cat-like form leap into the air, her body facing him, eyes not leaving his. He let her retreat and watched her steady foot land three tables away.

Gewel sheathed his sword and crossed his arms in front of his chest. He watched the girl heavily inhaling and glare suspiciously at him. He observed her stance, ready for an assault that he was not going to deliver. She was rapidly catching her breath, still holding her sword high, ready for an attack. Her light brown hair was damp with sweat, her lips curved into a smirk of disdain. Her dark eyes seemed to drink him in, seemed to be as deep as the seas.

"You will be Captain on my team of Dragon Slayers" Gewel simply said.

Her shock was evident, and this made him smile. Realizing she had passed what had just been his _qualification_ test, she relaxed slightly and brought her sword down.

"Tell me your name, girl." he demanded flatly.

"Kuumei, Sir." the girl replied, plainly, knowing her time had come to bow on one knee.

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

Van was leaning on the wall of the Crusade's deck, watching Celena gaze over the Fanelian forests bellow. She had insisted she felt well enough to stay in the control room and was now standing in front of the large bay windows, gazing at the scenery before her. Lyle and Lyla were standing on one side of the room, close to Kio who was expertly navigating the airship towards its homeland. Gadeth was softly talking with them, his arms crossed and glancing often to the Lady Schezar with questioning and concerned eyes. Allen was standing tall in the middle of the place, in front of Kio and the rudder. His arms were to his side and he too was gazing solemnly at the scenery, lost deeply in his thoughts.

The wind was blowing harder than usual and one might expect a storm, but the sky was limpid and the horizon clear. Van closed his eyes and thought of the past weeks since he had been on the Mystic Moon. So much had happened. He was joining what could be Gaea's final conflict. He wondered if Hitomi really was the other Keeper and secretly wished she was. It would allow him to see her again. He looked up to Celena. Did she bear feelings for him? He knew he did not. But how to tell her? Van scowled and regretted the kiss he had shared with her, feeling untrue towards Hitomi. He suddenly felt very heavy and felt his soul surrounded by darkness and as he could no longer see or hear what was going on in the control room, he felt Hitomi's presence.

"_Why? Why do I feel like this? There is nothing between Hitomi and me…_" Van thought closing his eyes again. Seeing Hitomi's sadden expression once more.

"_I needed you… you weren't there for me…_" she said gloomily to him.

"_When? When was I not there for you?_" he asked the shadowed figure before him.

Hitomi's form vanished and was replaced by darkness again.

"_Why do you not answer her calling?_" a soothing feminine voice inquired.

"_Who's there?_" Van demanded dryly, hating not being able to see who was addressing him. He then gasped as the spirit of his mother materialized before him in her blue dress with wide pink and red bow in the front. Her wings were hidden and she was standing only meters away from him. She was looking down on him with caring eyes, full of love and pride for the son she had left behind so many years ago.

"Mo…Mother?" Van breathed, unsure if she was real or not.

Varie smiled warmly to him. What a handsome man he had become. So strong and bright for his age. It was unfortunate that such young shoulders had to be burdened with such a fate.

"Hitomi is calling you, my son. Why are you not responding? She needs you… as you need her."

Van was taken aback by his mother's words but knew better than question her wisdom. A mixture of wonder and amazement filled his heart as he tried to understand what his mother was doing here now. She had appeared several times to Hitomi, who had visions. But never to him. Only when he was in the Mystic Valley had he had the chance to see his mother, and only very briefly. Why was she here now?

"Mother… what is happening to Gaea?" he questioned, his tone full of concern for his world and its inhabitants.

"Be valiant, my son. Trust Lyle and Lyla, for they will help you with the burdens to come. Find Hitomi, Van. Find her before it is too late."

"Find her? But she won't answer me! I've tried mother!"

"No Van, You have focused on her world. Not on her…"

Van furrowed his eyebrows, trying to understand his mother's words.

"You must concentrate on **her** Van, not on her possible emplacement. What if she is not where you believe her to be?"

Van's eyes went wide in comprehension. Whenever he had tried to summon Hitomi, he had pictured her in her world, on the Mystic Moon.

"Where…. Where is she mother?" Van almost choked on the words.

Varie smiled to him, knowing he had understood.

"Find her Van, before it is too late…" with her words, Varie disappeared into the darkness which also faded away, letting Van gaze at the floor of the Crusade's deck.

Van lifted his gaze and grasped the fact that Allen, Celena, and the crew had not noticed the building sweat, heavy breathing, and worried expression on his face. But Lyle and Lyla had. They were both staring at him with pleading eyes. When he made a movement to go to the loading bay, they both rushed to his side, Lyle blocking the way and Lyla holding his arm, surprising Van with her strength.

"No." Lyle commanded.

Allen and the others turned, amazed by the sight.

"I must, Lyle. Let me through." Van ordered, wondering if they knew what he was about to do.

"Lord Van," pleaded Lyla "If you go it could give the upper hand to Shitarr and Kyara if they have you both! Please, stay with us!"

"How could you ask this of me? Are you are telling me she is with them?" Van barked, yanking away his arm from Lyla's hard grip.

"We know no such thing, but you must stay far from Shitarr and Kyara Your Majesty, for your people and Gaea's future!" Lyle added, not budging from where he stood, blocking the small corridor to where the guymelefs were stored. 

At this point Allen and Gadeth had reached the trio.

"What is going on here?" Allen asked. Not receiving an answer, he gave a knowing look to Gadeth, giving him the signal to interfere if necessary. "Priest, move out of the way, I will not tolerate my guests to act so bluntly with the King."

"Allen, you don't understand…" Lyla said to him softly, putting a hand on his left arm, noticing he had his hand on the hilt of his sword. Hearing her name him without his title pleased him, but knew it was a trick to better get her way. 

"Priestess, explain what is going on and let us help." Allen replied smoothly.

Lyla looked up to Lyle, and then to Van. Both kept glaring at each other with utter obstinacy. She knew Lyle would surely use his powers in order to keep Gaea safe, even if it was against the Fanelian King.

"_Let him go, Lyle._" she implored him with her mind.

"_No! We can't allow him to do something as stupid as this._" Lyle answered back with his mind, his eyes narrowing on the King's.

"_There's nothing we can do at this point, the prophecies are happening Lyle! Look at Allen!_" she begged him with her thoughts.

Lyle reluctantly removed his hard glare from Van to turn to the Knight. Having had no answers, Allen had unsheathed his sword and was pointing it towards Lyle's throat. Recollection of a passage from the readings he had had with Lyla, Kyara and Shitarr came back to him "…a_nd the defenders shall protect the keepers from the Guides themselves if their lives or reunion is menaced…_"

"Priest, if you will not tell us what is going on, I'll appreciate it if you move out of the way and let the King pass." Allen commanded, his hand steady as his hard stare watched for Lyle's reaction.

Lyle frowned and quickly glanced to his twin. Her eyes were filled with unshed tears and distress, understanding too well they were playing the first act of what would lead to the resurrection of the Atlanteans on Gaea.

"_Don't worry, Lyla. Let us have faith in the young King, so we shall let him have his way, find the seeress and return to us._" Lyle told her with his thoughts, smiling softly now.

Lyla smiled warmly to him, nodding. This was written, let it happen. Together the keepers were stronger, they would free themselves of Shitarr and Kyara if they ever encountered trouble. Lyle turned to Allen and harden his expression.

"The Fanelian King wishes to leave us, reawaken Escaflowne and go out looking for the Keeper." he told the Knight coolly.

Allen gasped and turned his gaze to Van, who was now ready to push over Lyle to get to the loading bay.

"Is this true Van? You wish to search for Hitomi? Where are you going to look for her?" Allen demanded, not lowering his sword.

"I believe she is already on Gaea Allen. She has been for several weeks. I need to find her before she gets harmed. I wish to bring her back to us. I wish to protect her." Van replied, still looking at Lyle.

Allen slowly lowered his blade, unsure of the proper way to treat the matter. He couldn't go with Van. He needed to escort Celena home… He turned to his sister, who was still standing near the large bay windows, gazing at him with troubled eyes. Allen knew he would never be able to stop Van from trying to find Hitomi.

"Alright then, go. But find her quickly and return soon." he finally agreed.

"Brother no! What if something happens? We should all go…" Celena started but was quickly interrupted.

"WE are going to Asturia Celena." Allen said, not at all amused Celena would try to use the subject to try and get her way.

Celena knew better than to argue and dropped the matter, for now. She quickly glanced to Gadeth who was intently watching Lyle, staying alert for any kind of hostility from this stranger. Lyle waited for Allen to look back at him before slowly moving out of the way.

Van rushed passed him without giving him another thought. He ran in the corridor, passing by several crewmembers who wondered where he was going in such a hurry. They soon followed when they realized the Commander and Sarge as long as several others were all running behind him. Van reached the storage area and jumped on Escaflowne's knee. He opened a small panel from its chest and took out the pinkish drag-energist from the small compartment. He plunged it into the Ispano guymelef's large rose gem and watched as Escaflowne's heart pounded slowly, then stronger and more steadily.

When Allen and the others reached the loading bay, Van had already awakened Escaflowne and was settled in the pilot's cabin, rising the melef to its feet.

"Wait, Van! Tell us where you're going to look for her!" Allen shouted.

But Van did not give any answer. His thoughts were focused on one thing alone. Finding Hitomi. The large doors to the loading bay opened, sending a gushing wind throughout the storage area. Celena gripped her brother for stability and Lyla did the same with the closest crewmember who happened to be Gadeth. Escaflowne leaped into the air and transformed into its flight mode, metamorphosing into a magnificent white dragon. Van stood tall on its back, pulling hard on the handles to guide the splendid guymelef towards an unknown goal. The others watched him go as the colossal beast grew smaller and smaller as it got further.

"_It will now happen…_" thought Lyla.

"_There are other ways to stop Shitarr, Lyla. Do not fret_" thought Lyle back as he watched the Fanelian King's figure far away.

"_Hold on, Hitomi! I'm coming_!_" _ Van thought as he pulled once more on the handles to give Escaflowne more altitude against the hard blowing wind. He closed his eyes and pictured her in his mind. Her lovely eyes, her bright smile, her strong will… He focused on her spirit, calling out to it. He was rewarded with a vision of darkness, with the pendant swinging towards his left. Van opened his eyes and looked to his left. His heart skipped a beat.

"_Lyle knew…_" he thought angrily as he turned his melef to his left, heading towards Basram.

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

Clouds were gathering over the capital of the Basram Empire. Lighting inspirited their dark forms and was followed by a low, distant resounding rumble. A young soldier mounted on his horse-like beast and dashed through the city streets to get to the Castle's Royal Shrine. When arriving at the Royal gates, he motioned for the guards to open them and let him enter. He quickly dismounted and ran towards the building on the right of the castle, entering the dusk lighted Temple. He walked hastily to the front of the large room. It was a building made of cold stone and few windows let the mellow rays of the sun enter to heat and light the place. Only one row of 5 stoned benches allowed the Royal family to sit when they would come for prayer. The only brightness came from the few candles lit here and there on the floor, guiding the way towards the alter. There, a shadowed figure sat on a large bronze chair, in the darkness, in complete silence. Only a soft glow radiating from one of the shadow's hands allowed the soldier to confirm the person was really sitting there. He bent on one knee.

"Priestess, a White Messenger has arrived from Fanelia, as you predicted" the soldier whispered, out of breath.

"Really, so soon… How interesting… Is he at the City gates?" the feminine figure inquired, bringing her left hand to her right, gently caressing the large stone of the ring she wore on her finger.

The soldier was intrigued by the brightness of the stone, as it turned from dim purple to a discrete glowing crimson. It was as if some cyclone was trapped in the large gem and the more she stroked it, the brighter the aura became.

"Yes My Lady, exactly as you ordered" the young man, replied lightly, gazing deeply into the ring, as in a trance.

"Perfect. Your assistance is no longer required…" the soft voice told him, as the luminescence of the stone nearly revealed her beauty.

To this, the soldier bowed, and drew his sword slowly, almost as if some unknown presence was guiding his movements. Turning the blade to his chest, he plunged it through his heart and blood oozed from his chest and back, blood also trickling from his mouth before he fell to his side.

"No need for you to tell the King what I am about to do with this White Messenger…" the voice said softly, with a low, sinister laughter.

Kyara rose from her seat and walked towards the dead body, looking down at it with abhorrence "_Pathetic_" she thought to herself. "_Dear Brother, the White Messenger is anxious to meet you at the Great Gates I am sure…_" she then thought, putting her brown boot on the laying corpse and pushing hard on it to turn the man on his back.

"_I'm already on my way, my dear…_" Shitarr's thought reached her and she smiled her evil grin.

"_I'll have some cleaning up to do here when you are done…_" she then thought, smiling harder as she felt his anger built within him.

"_You are hopeless…_" he thought, rolling his eyes as he approached the Great Gates of the Basram Capital.

When Shitarr arrived at the City limits, the soldiers posted there saluted him and opened the large metal gates to let him pass. To the Basram guards, Shitarr appeared to be the elderly Priest he was impersonating, but to the Fanelian White Messenger, he looked as he was; tall, strong, malfeasant. The cloaked messenger bowed at the sight of him, understanding this was one of the Elysium Priest Basram was so popular for. He looked up when receiving no welcome from the prestigious man and announced his mission.

"I have a message to deliver to you, from Van Fanel, King of Fanelia My Lord" the Fanelian announced.

"Indeed you do…" Shitarr replied, ignoring the messenger's inquiring gaze. "Rise, let us walk…" he added, putting his hand on the other man's shoulder.

"You are not taking me to the King?" the Fanelian asked, rising and bringing his hood down, revealing his features for the first time. He was a tall man, not quite as tall as Shitarr, but well built and well mannered.

"Not right away, I must speak with you first…" Shitarr answered, pulling him along into the nearby forest.

A new brilliant flash of lightning illuminated the sky above them as they entered the small path within the Basram woods. Shitarr was silently leading the way, not looking back to the confused messenger. His dark coat flapped behind him with the rising winds. The Fanelian messenger had to hold his cape around his shoulders in order not to lose it.

When they were far enough in the forest, Shitarr turned and looked down to the man waiting impatiently for his words. His lips curled into a sinister smile and his soft blue eyes gleamed with an expression the Fanelian could not identify.

"What are we doing here My Lord?" the messenger inquired, lifting his hand to his waist, searching for the hilt of his sword. But it was not there, he was on a mission of peace…

Shitarr cocked a brow "Do you expect to deal with me on your own?" he asked amused.

"I… don't know what is going on here, but you are a very trusted advisor of the Basram Kingdom and I only wish to deliver the missive to the King." the Fanelian announced, taking a step back as he slowly understood the intentions of the man standing before him.

"Don't leave so soon… you are not allowed to see the King." Shitarr told him, reaching behind his back and pulling a round brass rod from his belt, no longer than his hand. He grasped it tightly and the rod glowed a sapphire radiance before growing as long as Shitarr was tall. The High Priest twirled the staff many times and brought it behind him, his legs spread out, positioned in a fighting stance, his left arm stretched to his side. The increasing wind danced with his wild chalky hair and his eyes narrowed on the Fanelian messenger who was now cursing under his breath.

"What is the matter with you? Do you know a war could break out if I don't deliver this scroll!?" the messenger inquired, taking the rolled piece of paper out of his pocket and holding it tightly in front of him.

"Do not worry about a possible war… Be blissful. You are fortunate enough to participate in the resurrection of the God people, the Atlanteans!"

"What? Are you mad? The King would never allow this! Neither rulers would! Who… who are you?" the Fanelian asked, looking around for any possible weapon to defend himself with. He was on a mission of peace, but was still a Samurai, and would die honorably in battle against an enemy.

Shitarr smirked, reading the warriors thoughts and charged, bringing his staff down on the man with impressive speed. The Fanelian reached for a log and blocked the attack, causing the log to shatter to pieces under the strength of the hit. Shitarr swiftly whirled the staff with one had and brought it down upon the other man once more, this time, effectively hitting him in the stomach. The messenger spit blood and fell to his knees.

"So… fast…" he breathed, before falling to the ground.

"That is because I read minds my friend, and therefore can predict your movements…" Shitarr explained, kicking the man on the side, forcing him to turn on his back. Bringing the staff high in the air, the ends of the long weapon gleamed once more their sapphire glow and narrowed to cutting blades and he brought it down with force, deathly stabbing the man in the chest. The Fanelian's blood gushed heavily from the wound and Shitarr gave him one last look before the man beneath him rolled his eyes behind his eyelids, exhaling his last breath.

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

Celena gazed at the darkening sky from the bay windows of the Crusade's deck, wondering if they would encounter a storm during their trip. She was thinking of Van and was wishing for his safety. She could easily imagine the worst and was angry with her brother for being so concerned with her own safety. Van probably needed them. She shivered as a familiar warmth neared her from behind. She did not turn, not wanting him to see the slight blush she felt creeping to her cheeks.

Gadeth leaned on the bay window to her right, crossing his arms in front of his chest. His eyes were closed and he was obviously trying to find a way to start the conversation. She peaked at him from the corner of her eyes, wondering what he would say.

"Celena…" he began, sending electricity through her body.

"_Celena! He's still calling me Celena! Thank God he's not using the title!_" she thought, being afraid the long time they had not seen each other would have changed his behavior towards her. She turned to him and smiled.

"What… happened to your cheek?" he asked slowly, opening his eyes and turning to her.

He caught the look of surprise and confusion in her eyes and regretted the question immediately. 

"My cheek?" she repeated, bringing a shaky hand to her face, anticipating what she would find.

Gadeth caught her hand before she could touch the small scar on her right cheek and held it with his own. "Your beauty is unmatched, Celena. Ignore what I said. You are magnificent, as you were when I last saw you…"

Celena flushed some more and looked down. He had always been quite the gentleman around her, always complimenting her and talking softly to her. But this was different. He held her hand, and was gazing contemplatively at her large, shining blue eyes. She looked up and searched his smiling face, wondering if his words spoke the truth about his feelings or if he was trying to divert her attention from her scar.

Her thoughts were soon effectively averted when a slight vibration was felt through out the airship. Gadeth immediately lost his smile and looked out the bay windows, wondering what could have provoked the quake. What he saw strained the color from his face.

"Ehh… Boss…" he managed, slowly taking Celena by the shoulders and getting her away from the window. Celena followed his gaze and brought a hand to her lips to hold back an outcry. She willingly backed away into his arms as she gaped into the enormous yellow eye of the sky dragon that was staring at her. Its large maroon wings were gliding in the unrelenting wind, flying steadily next to the airship.

"What is it doing so close?" Allen gasped, knowing Fanelia was the land of the dragons but not used to having a dragon being so close to his ship. It was flying only meters away!

"Look! There's an other one on the other side!" Kio shouted, holding the rudder firmly in his large hands, his arms shaking with the tremble of the airship.

Allen turned and frowned at the sight of the other sky dragon, which was flying majestically into the dark sky. Its white and blue skin shimmered with every flash of lightning from the clouds, and although it was further away than the other, it was still to close for him.

"I don't understand! Two dragons in one day? Something is up…" Gadeth muttered, still holding Celena close to him. He looked at Allen with questioning eyes, then to Lyle and Lyla who had approached the large windows to have a better view of the flying beasts outside. 

"Commander! We have a problem here! Our flying friends are not alone…" Reeden yelled from behind Kio, his eyes glued to the periscope, something out there obviously was wrong.

"What do you see Reeden?" asked Gadeth, leaving Celena's side to approach the periscope and have a look himself. As he pushed Reeden away, his jaw dropped to what he saw.

"Hundreds of them Commander!" Reeden shouted, searching Allen's gaze. "They are all coming from behind us! And fast!" he added, worried.

"What?!" Allen gasped, turning to Gadeth for confirmation, wondering how that could be possible.

"Boss, maybe we should clear the way before they reach us…" Gadeth said, giving back the periscope to the small worried man next to him.

"What is going on? Why are they all flying together? And WHERE are they going?" Celena inquired, yet knowing no one would be able to tell her. She was surprised to actually hear an answer to her question.

"It is the ecosystem of the planet…" Lyle answered.

"Because of the closeness of the Moons, the ecosystem is losing its balance… the dragons are fleeing to eastern grounds… The environment here must not suit them anymore…" he added, glaring at the closest dragon, who was now staring at him.

"This is only the beginning. We shall witness results of the unbalance until the Moons fully cross each other…" Lyla explained.

"How long is this going to take?" Allen questioned, concerned.

"We are not sure… many weeks.. " Lyla answered him.

Another shake was felt through out the airship, this time enough to throw, them backwards, causing Celena to fall to her knees, since she was not close to anything to hold on to.

"Excuse me but they are getting much closer now!" Reeden shouted.

"What is causing these quakes?" Celena asked, trying to get to her feet, feeling another violent tremble. Allen went to her aid, supporting himself on the large windows.

"The dragons. So many at a time provoke harsh gushes of wind, and since they are so close…" Lyla could not continue as the closest dragon fled in front of them and the tip of its tail brushed the levistone on the left of the ship. The collision caused the Crusade to loose altitude to that side, sending everyone off balance as the airship tumbled to the side several degrees, enough to have Celena slide across the control room and into her brother's arms. Kio spun the rudder forcefully to his right and managed to stabilize the airship.

"Gadeth, get us to the ground, I'm going out there. We can't let them approach the airship… that was too close…" Allen ordered.

"Yessir..." Gadeth answered, helping the Commander and his sister up to their feet. "Okay you heard the man! We are landing this baby right now!" Gadeth barked to his men.

Allen rushed to the loading bay and climbed on Scherazade, opening its hatch, he fumbled backwards when he saw the frail kitten standing in the pilot's space.

"What are you doing there?!" he asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Hiding?" Merle answered sheepishly, knowing she would get in trouble when Van would see her there.

"Get out!" Allen commanded, pulling her out of his melef and taking place in it.

Merle understood then that something was terribly wrong. Escaflowne wasn't next to Scherazade anymore, and the airship kept shaking.

"What's wrong? Where's Lord Van?" she asked confused, wondering how she had missed Escaflowne's departure. Had she been sleeping that soundly?!

"Go up to the deck and stay there with the others." Allen shouted as he brought Scherazade to his feet, forcing Merle to jump off. He waited for her to leave before opening the cargo bay's door, but when he saw she wasn't moving, yelled to her once more.

"Go Merle! MOVE!" he ordered.

Merle was snapped out of her trance and nodded, turning and running towards the front of the airship. Allen opened the large doors and gasped as he witnessed the many Sky dragons flying all around the airship now. Many had already taken the lead, their speed greatly accelerated by the powerful winds. Scherazade jumped into the air, extending its arms to grip the side of the ship and leaping on top of it. It drew its sword and twirled it expertly with one hand, taking a fighting stance, ready to protect the airship.

Merle arrived on deck, holding herself against the walls in order not to fall. She spotted Lyle next to the large windows and scurried to his side. She clung to his shirt and looked up into his eyes "Lyle! Where is Lord Van?!" she asked confused.

"Merle! What are you doing here? You were to stay in Fanelia!" Lyle gave as an answer.

"I couldn't leave Lord Van… He needs me! Now where did he go?" she questioned again, tears gathering in her eyes.

"The King left many hours ago Merle, off to find Hitomi." Lyle finally answered, his temper cooling down at the sight of the saddened kitten. She was only being loyal to her childhood friend after all…

"What? On the Mystic Moon? What is going on?" she shouted, baffled with the latest events.

She did not get an answer as a terrible quake was felt, sending Lyle and her to the ground, as well as Lyla who was standing close to them. Lyla turned on her back and looked up to the crewmembers who were all holding on tight to anything for support, and then to Celena who was gripping Gadeth's arm tightly. Lyla rested her head against the deck's floor, looking up and catching a glimpse of Sherazade's cape flapping through the large windows.

"_Allen… please be careful…_" she thought, as Scherazade's blade collided with the roof again, sending another tremble across the airship. 

"We are going to have another problem, Sarge…" Reeden shouted "There are many land dragons down there, all running in the same direction as the sky dragons…" he added, not moving his eyes from the periscope. 

Gadeth moved towards the windows, holding tightly Celena to him so she wouldn't fall. He frowned as he saw the many dragons dashing through the fields below them.

"This will be a problem when we land…" he said aloud "But we have to land, the Commander won't last for ever up there. And it's better to confront dragons on the solid ground than in the air… Drop altitude, we are going down!" he then ordered.

Celena looked up to him, slightly worried. "Are you planing on going out there?" she asked.

Gadeth glanced down to her with a smile. "We'll have to if we don't want the ship to end up as a total wreck…"

"Altitude at 120!" one of the crewmembers shouted.

"Alright then, lift the propellers!" Gadeth shouted "Katz! Take us down!" he added to the one controlling altitude and speed. "Prepare yourselves, men Once landed we must protect the Crusade from the land dragons down there. If we don't want to stay stranded in the middle of nowhere…" Gadeth added with a grin.

Allen was doing his best to lure the many sky dragons away from the airship. They surrounded the Crusade, several were very close, but most were far enough to seem to be only large birds. The dragons didn't bother with the flying ship and passed next to it as if it wasn't even there. When doing so, they continually either tipped the ship over with one of their wings or tail, or produced an impressive amount of wind current, driving the Crusade to oscillate. Allen silently cursed as one dragon decided to hover directly over the airship, its tail dangerously dangling close to the now lifted propellers.

"_If it ever hits even the slightest bit of the propellers, the ship is going to crash!_" Allen thought, wondering what the best move would be to have the dragon move along. Scherazade lifted its sword, slightly stinging the dragon's open abdomen. The dragon looked down to see what could be afflicting the slight injury and narrowed its large yellow eyes at the sight of Scherazade.

Scherazade immediately brought its sword down, knowing the dragon had finally noticed it and the airship. The Crusade started losing altitude and the dragon dipped towards it, determined to punish the iron man who had dared touch him.

Scherazade twirled its blade, putting one foot behind the other, bracing for the impact. The green and gray sky dragon dove towards him with its neck retracted preparing to send down a stream of its hot and deathly breath.

"_NO!_" Allen thought before perceiving the hot air around him and being enveloped in the furious heat of the fire the dragon had release upon his guymelef.

"Woah! Look!" Merle screeched, pointing to the front of the ship, seeing the scorching flames lick the large windows.

"Get us down fast Katz!" Gadeth warned, taking a step back.

When the air cooled around Scherazade, Allen opened his eyes and bend just in time to avoid the diving dragon. The melef got back up to its feet just as swiftly and spun to face the dragon that was preparing to turn around, to hit once more the melef. Allen glanced down. They were still very high in the sky and falling overboard was not an option. He would have to kill the dragon if it didn't give up soon. He gazed back up and saw the dragon dangerously charging towards him. Scherazade brought its sword high and awaited the enraged beast. When it was close enough, he lifted the blade energetically, transpiercing the dragon's neck before it could exhale its lethal breath. The dragon opened its eyes wide and growled in pain as it landed heavily on top of the Crusade and Scherazade, pinning the melef down on its back.

The women on the bridge screamed in terror and this time all fell to the floor as the airship was dangerously plunging down from the sky, not able to support the weight of both the dragon and the guymelef. Other sky dragons flying above the airship watched it go down upon the land dragons below. Some dodged the airship and avoided being hit. None slowed their pace, the importance of their journey greater than the curiosity of seeing the leviship crash.

The dragon's body slowly lifted and shifted to the side, as Scherazade pushed its way out of under the large dying beast. Allen quickly understood they were about to crash and pushed the dragon off the airship, watching it drop to the nearing land bellow. The Crusade slowed its descent but the ship was too close to the ground and it landed harshly in the large field, sending dirt, bushes and high grass fly several feet in the air. The ship also hit several land dragons as it reduced speed and finally came to a halt, leaving a path of destruction behind it.

Gadeth grunted as he shakily lifted himself from over Celena, who was furiously blushing underneath him. Before the impact he had lowered her to the floor and had shield her from any harm with his body, pinning her solidly so she wouldn't get injured further.

"_Stop this at once! Don't think of this now! Can't you see he's hurt!_" she thought to herself. "Gadeth! Are you alright?" she managed through only a whisper.

"Yeah…" he smiled down to her, slowly getting up and rubbing his shoulder.

"Is everyone all right?" he asked, helping Celena to her feet. He looked around, all on the bridge nodded or answered affirmatively.

"Good thinking Katz, rising the pressure before crashing… it minimized the impact…" Gadeth told the man who was blinking questioningly at him.

"Sorry Sarge, but I was on the floor when the dragon fell off… I couldn't reach the control panel…"

"What? But how? The airship really slowed down… I saw the instruments showing an increase in pressure and altitude!" Kio mentioned, leaning over the rudder.

Merle helped Lyle up and looked up to the three men, turning to the windows as something caught her eye…

"Hmmm… there's…. a dragon… watching us…" she said cautiously, gently backing away to the solid wall.

Lyla put a hand over Celena's shoulder, urging her to step back as well.

"Okay Men… Do your stuff… " Gadeth ordered, nodding to Reeden to gather the others bellow. He then turned and said to the women and Lyle : "You guys stay here.. you'll be safe." he flashed a quick glance to Celena and turned to join the others outside.

Lyla looked up to her brother, holding on tightly to Celena who obviously wished to follow the men against the menacing beasts outside.

"_Now it's my turn._" he thought, glancing at Lyla as he untied the sash covering his shoulder and tossed it to the side.

"What are you doing? Where are you going Lyle?" Merle shouted, watching the older man hurry outside to join the others. "Wait! You'll get hurt! You're a council member not a Samurai! LYLE!" she ran after him but was tugged forcefully by the tail.

"HEY! What's the big idea?!" she turned and her gaze spotted the hand holding on tightly to her. She gazed up to Lyla who was nodding to her negatively.

"But he'll get injured! Merle told the woman, jerking her tail away from the Priestess's grip.

"No he won't, Merle. Lyle can defend himself quite well…" Lyla said soothingly.

Merle's ears twitched as she stepped next to the window to see the men outside. The large dragon lurking near them earlier had been driven away by Scherazade. The large Guymelef was acting now as a shield to the few men standing behind it as a large land dragon released its flaming breath upon them. Merle felt Lyla and Celena close behind her as she searched for Lyle out in the fields.

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

Scherazade quickly jumped off the Crusade's roof when Allen spotted his men charging aggressively against the approaching dragons. Not many dragons even noticed them, all racing by the airship without even looking at it. But certain beasts, more lost in their alarm to flee, insisted on wanting to run over the Crusade, forcing the crewmembers to retaliate with force. Allen rushed in front of his men when he realized a large dragon was ready to spit its blaze over their heads. Scherazade got there just in time to block the flames, shielding the men standing behind it.

When the dragon finished, it fixed on at Scherazade with a nasty glare, ready to jump at its throat. Allen spotted two other dragons heading his way. At their pace, they would definitely stumble across the Crusade. Sweat dripped over his eyebrow from the heat of the previous combustion as he looked around him, all his men busy fighting other incoming dragons. How was he going to stop the other two dragons with this one attacking him? Scherazade lifted its sword, ready to confront the dragon as it leaped into the air towards the great guymelef. It almost instantly fell to the ground with a loud resounding, as if restrained by an imaginary chain. Allen blinked his surprise, as the dragon hit its head on the ground, evidently dazed by the impact.

"_Did it trip over something?_" he thought doubtfully, and gawked at what he saw over the dragon, its head still on the grassy field; Lyle was holding tightly to its tail, refraining the beast from attacking Allen.

"Allen GO!" Lyle yelled, not lessening his grip and gesturing towards the other two dragons that were moments away from diving over the airship.

"_How? That's impossible!_" Allen thought, amazed by Lyle's strength. He put his wonders aside and Scherazade jumped over the slowly awakening dragon, dashing towards the threatening ones running their way. It brought up its sword high over its head and vaulted in the air, crouching its legs and descended upon the first dragon, its large keen blade easily piercing the hard scales on the dragon's back. This caused for the beast to howl in pain, its green ooze gushing onto the melef's chest. The land dragon jerked Scherazade upward before falling to the ground. 

Allen did not wait a second longer and took out Scherazade's blade from the dead flesh and threw it with all his strength towards the second dragon that had already passed by. The sharp sword reached its target seconds before it got to the Crusade, half of the blade penetrating the dragon's skin, killing it instantly as its blood poured from the deep stab. Allen breathed heavily and looked back to Lyle. 

The man was fighting the dragon barehanded. Allen saw the dragon charge towards Lyle, its jaws wide open, ready to sink its acute fangs into Lyle's flesh. He was astonished as he witnessed Lyle steady himself on the ground, bracing for the impact, his arms stretched out in front of him. When the dragon reached him, Lyle caught his snout with his hands, forcing the threatening jaw to close, hiding away the menacing cutting edges. With its speed and strength, the dragon pushed Lyle backwards several meters, Lyle's feet not leaving the ground, lifting a cloud of dust as he tried to bring the beast to a stop. His hands stayed on the dragon, preventing it from opening its mouth. Lyle grimaced as he stretched his legs in an effort to stop the dragon's assault, his feet digging in the ground to his ankles in the process. Lyle gritted his teeth as they finally came to a halt and twisted the dragon's head and neck with energy, forcing it to fall on its back. Lyle jumped over the squirming creature, reaching for the blue jewel on his left leathery armband. 

He pushed on the jewel, releasing a hidden, speeding dagger from under his armband. He caught it in his hand before it went flying in the air and dug it into the open, unprotected skin of the dragon's belly. This caused the dragon to wiggle harder and it managed to roll to its feet, but Lyle held fast to the vulnerable flesh as he was swung with the dragon's movement, hanging upside down.. His long silver braid brushed the ground as the dragon carried him away in its fury. He dug the dagger further until it reached its goal. Lyle let go of the trenchant blade as his arm was now halfway into the dragon's guts. He grabbed its heart and swiftly pulled it out, muttering a silent prayer for the dying dragon. As he drew out the drag-energist from the dragon's belly, dark, rich, green gore spurted all over his body before the dragon collapsed on top of him. 

"NOOO!" Allen yelled, rushing to the dragon to lift it off the Priest. He stopped dead in his tracks as he saw the dragon move and being pushed aside by a completely soaked Lyle. His long bangs hid his eyes, he was breathing heavily, his chest going up and down as he held on tight to the energist in his left hand.

"_How could he have lifted the dragon on his own? How can this man be so strong?_" Allen thought as both men watched the dragon and its blood beginning to evaporate, the dragon rapidly disintegrating, fusing with the field. Lyle's dagger fell from the dragon's now disappearing belly to the ground bellow. He bent and grabbed his dagger, folding back the hilt over the blade and sheathing it back under his left armband.

Lyle looked around and sighed. The land dragons had all passed, and the Crusade's crew had managed to protect the airship from further damage. He looked up to the sky and fell to his knees, relief washing over him. Scherazade bent on one knee and Allen jumped out of it, looking around and making a swift analysis of the damage to the Crusade and his crew's well being.

"No injuries." Gadeth told him, approaching the Commander as he sheathed his sword. He walked alongside of him towards Lyle. Allen stretched a hand to the man kneeling on the ground, helping him up, his mind burning with the question he wanted to ask.

"Because I wished for it." Lyle answered him, his eyes inspecting the Crusade as he heard the unspoken thoughts.

"Wished for it?" Allen inquired, intrigued.

Gadeth gazed at both men, unaware of Lyle's exploit.

"The power of wishes is strong within the Elysium clergy. My strongest wish was to develop strength." Lyle explained.

"So you only have to wish of something for it to happen?" Allen asked, amazement in his voice.

Lyle chuckled. "No, it is not that easy. It took me years to acquire this power, and one can only develop very few… special talents like this."

"Have you any more _special_ talents like this one?" Allen asked sarcastically.

Lyle did not answer and walked away towards the broken-down airship.

Allen silently cursed. Why did this man keep so many secrets? He frowned to Gadeth who was simply lifting his shoulders in resignation. Small drops fell from the dark sky, sprinkling lightly over them as the crewmembers gathered next to the airship, not minding the cooling shower and taking in the dreary sight of several dead dragons surrounding the Crusade. They could still feel the ground tremble as the other land dragons fled further away.

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

Gewel narrowed his eyes as he inspected the newly recruited team that was now forming his Dragon Slayers. Kuumei and he had evaluated and tested many soldiers over the afternoon and had finally decided upon 6 superior fighters, all had excellent sword technique and could pilot guymelefs admirably.

Kuumei was still unsure of her purpose but followed her leader's orders and helped him test soldiers. She felt alive only when she had her sword in her hand and had welcomed the pretext to shamelessly whip some ass. She had enjoyed humiliating the soldiers who had thought themselves better than she, easily winning every challenge she had had during the afternoon.

Gewel crossed his arms over his chest, strolling silently in front of the men who were standing in a row, Kuumei among them. His gaze met every one of theirs, pausing before every man, waiting for them to lower their gaze before passing on to the other, establishing this way his supremacy and dominance. When he finally reached Kuumei, she gazed into his stingy gray stare. He mystified her in many ways. Who was he to become highly ranked at such a young age? Where did he learn to fight like he did? He seemed intelligent and rational, was an exceptional combatant yet he was a man, and most men she knew had flaws. She was anxious to discover his…

Gewel grinned as she maintained her dark eyes on his. She was not going to lower her gaze. Which did not mean disrespect; but spirit, boldness, audacity… he had chosen well. His calculate mind had planned on finding a second in command fit to eventually take his place if something should happen to him. He did not plan on failing his mission, already scheming his first move against the Fanelian King. But Gewel preferred to foresee all possibilities. He had mastered that faculty and was sure going to use it wisely. He saw the slight confusion that flashed in her fearless stare as she scrutinized him evenly.

His eyes did not leave hers as he slowly, meaningfully licked his lips, lifting his hand to her chin, his gloved fingers gently caressing down her neck to the middle of her collarbones. He smiled as she looked away, slightly flushing. He knew it was more out of rage than shyness, but the goal of having her look away first was attained. He couldn't have let himself look away first.

"Well, men…" he said as he took several steps back to see all of them at once. "You are now member of the Elite group of Dragon Slayers. I, Gewel Kianty, will lead you to your greatest glory yet. I have chosen you for your many abilities as soldiers. You shall honor me and your country in combat." he paused and looked at Kuumei who was still looking away, fists clenched at her sides.

"Kuumei! Divide these men into pairs and have them train. I'll be waiting for you in my quarters when you finish getting them set up…" he said, turning and leaving the training area.

Kuumei sighed heavily, wondering what he wanted from her. She knew the small touch earlier had not meant anything to him. He had done it for other reasons… reasons she did not know. He had wanted her to feel uncomfortable… she did not know why. She shrugged and turned to the men. She quickly paired them up, making sure the evenly skilled were put together, making sure the challenges would be great. She informed them that she would be back the next day to fight with them again, and that the improvement had to be noticeable. The men saluted her and started their heavy exercises.

Kuumei left the training section and headed for Gewel's quarters. She brushed her short sandy hair with her long fingers, letting her bangs drop back in front of her dim eyes. She groaned as she thought of the events of the past weeks. She was one of the King's personal assassins and she had left several weeks ago on a special mission. She had missed her target and had fallen from a roof in the Capital City. When awaking, she had no memory of the past events. None whatsoever. She couldn't even remember her name. She was laying in one of the small beds of an infirmary within the castle gates and the Royal Sorcerers had informed her of what had happen and she was amazed she had no recollection of it. The fall had damaged her memory and none could be certain when and if it would ever return. 

The High Commanders had taken her off the assassins team, sending her back to the military squad. She knew she had shed blood before, when training with the other soldiers. She had to stop herself from killing her opponents when sparring and it was getting harder to restrain herself with every passing day. She had been growing tired of fighting meaningless soldiers and was almost glad Gewel had found her. Perhaps there was going to be some action now that she was Captain of the Dragon Slayers…

As she approached the door to his rooms, she heard the young man's voice travelling across the hallway.

"I will obey my King and follow your orders if it is his wish, but I warn you I know my mission and how to accomplish it. I will have my way in achieving the King's command."

Kuumei heard a slight chuckle and approached the door quietly, peeking inside. Gewel was standing, his right hand on his hip, the other hovering over the hilt of his sword. He was addressing two elders who Kuumei knew to be the Royal advisors. The aged Priest laughed softly as he put his shriveled hand on Gewel's shoulder.

"We will not get in your way, I assure you, but we will need to speak with the Fanelian King before you murder him…" the Priest said softly, with his raspy voice. 

"_Murder Fanelia_?" Kuumei thought astonished, eyes widening.

"Yes, he shall be arriving soon. We wish for you and your men to capture him, but let us see him before you do anything…" the short, old Priestess told him, slowly rising from her chair and heading for the open door. Kuumei moved to the side, swiftly opening the door next to his and entering the dark room, leaving a crack in the door to watch the elders leave.

"How do you know he is coming?" Gewel asked suspiciously.

The two elders turned and smiled. "Why, young one, we are Priest and Priestess of Elysium. We have been serving the King for over 40 years. Our knowledge has never been question by the King himself. Why should it be by you?" the Priestess inquired coolly.

Gewel hesitated and responded, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword now. "I… I see you as you are…" he said gazing directly into Shitarr's light blue eyes.

Shitarr's rich laughter filled his room "Of course you do!" he replied very matter of factly. He then lost his smirk and glanced at Kyara who was standing by the door, a wide smile on her face.

Gewel was surprised with the man's answer but remained emotionless, He watched the tall, young man turn and leave with the white haired beauty. Once they were out of the room Gewel frowned. He did not have time to think of what had just happened as he heard a slight knock on his door. He lifted his gaze to meet Kuumei's who was frowning just as much as he was.

"Just what is the Dragon Slayers' mission Gewel?" she asked him flatly.

"Funny you should ask… There has just been a slight change of plans…" Gewel answered her, inviting her to close the door behind her. 

Which she did, with a loud resounding noise that echoed through out the long, dark empty hallway.

¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤~¤

__

Please send your comments , or/and if you wish to join the official mailing list,

write to : celenashezar@hotmail.com

AIM : Celenasan

MSN : celena


End file.
